Pickleball's big cheating problem

Simple tips for a better serve return. 'Head hunting's' hefty new fine.

March 05, 2025

Does pickleball have a cheating problem?

It’s an open secret that some players in the pro ranks are prone to “hooking” — or calling a ball that’s close to the line in their favor, even when it’s not that close at all.

And let’s be real—there’s always that one guy at your local courts whose vision magically sharpens when he’s on the receiving end of a bad call, but gets mysteriously blurry when he’s the one making them.

Pros like Federico Staksrud & Zane Navratil think it’s gotten out of hand — and they let us hear it on our latest PicklePod episode.

More on that down below.

In This Issue:

💰 ‘Head Hunting’ now comes with a $5,000 fine
🤥 Top pros think pickleball has a cheating problem
🔋 Catherine Parenteau wants to fix your serve

Grab your popcorn.

Our Picks ☝️

🏝️ Preview: The PPA Heads to Cape Coral, FL

Ben Johns and Andre Daescu are teaming up in men’s doubles — do they have what it takes to win gold? And May 31, 2024, was the last time Anna Leigh Waters lost a singles match. Will the streak continue? Full event preview, right here.

👋 Switcheroo: First Trades Fly for Major League Pickleball

The Major League Pickleball Draft wrapped up Sunday and already we’re seeing a few notable trades between top teams:

  • Meghan Dizon to The New Jersey 5s // Genie Bouchard to the Phoenix Flames

  • Eric Oncins to the Texas Ranchers // Noe Khlif to the Miami Pickleball Club

🫡 Yes Ma’am: Anna Leigh Waters Has a Question For You

🦇 Subterranean: Tennis Courts Batman Would Ball Out On

For many of us, pickleball is an escape from the grind of everyday life. A chance to get away. One Reddit user discovered some tennis courts that take that to a whole new level, literally — they’re located underground in an old mine. Imagine the echo!

Return to Sender

Dinks and drives get all the headlines, but don’t sleep on your return.

A well-placed return should set you up to be the aggressor of the point, keeping the other team back at the baseline. But like many things in pickleball, that’s easier said than done.

Luckily, Selkirk pro Catherine Parenteau has some simple but effective tips:

  1. Positioning is key — Even against a weaker serve, it’s best to start behind the baseline and attack rather than be caught on your heels

  2. Make contact, then advance — It’s very hard to hit a return cleanly on the run

  3. Location, location, location — Yes, you want to get it deep, but try to target your opponent’s weaker shot, too

  4. More height = more time — Give yourself more time to hustle to the kitchen

Thanks, CP.

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Pro Pickleball’s Cheating Problem

Play pickleball long enough and you’ll witness your fair share of questionable line calls. The game moves fast, sure, but all too often bad line calls become a crutch for inferior skills.

It’s annoying in rec play, and can often fly in the face of longer rallies and more enjoyable games in favor of winning points on sketchy calls.

At the pro level, the stakes are considerably higher. And if you ask pros Zane Navratil and Federico Staksrud, this type of cheating is far too common, and only getting worse.

"I think line-calling is the number one priority for pro pickleball," says Staksrud. "We cannot keep going up as a sport if we are calling our own lines."

The duo discuss this topic, and many more, in this week’s episode of the PicklePod.

Get Rewarded for Your Pickleball Expertise

Look, we all know that person at the courts – the one everyone goes to for paddle recommendations. Turns out, you can actually get rewarded for that.

Royal Pickleball has this Ambassador Program that’s kinda genius. You get to demo paddles, hook up fellow players, and, yeah, even earn commissions on sales.

Royal’s already got a huge network of ambassadors and demo locations. They make it easy to get started and actually make it worthwhile.

If you’re already knee-deep in your local pickleball scene (or wanna be), Royal Pickleball’s Ambassador program is worth checking out.

Fines Now Double for ‘Head Hunting’

Feathering a clean forehand flick neatly behind your opponent? Good.

Intentionally blasting a nuke of a forehand directly into their eye socket? Bad.

This type of head-high bodybagging has been the subject of new regulations and penalties at the pro level since the UPA-A introduced the “reckless targeting” rule a couple weeks ago.

Well, it’s not called that anymore; it’s “head hunting” now — and the offense comes with stricter fines and less subjective means of enforcement.

  • First Offense (within a 3-month period): A minimum fine of $5,000

  • Second Offense (within a 3-month period): A minimum fine of $10,000 and the player may face suspension

Another key difference: "If a player deliberately or recklessly targets an opponent with a powerful shot at an opponent’s head … the point will be reviewed by the UPA-A post match."

That places the onus on video review, not the real-time judgement of a match official. And that’s a good thing.

Federico Staksrud Beats … Nick Kyrgios?

The 21st Desert Smash tennis event just went down at the La Quinta Resort in La Quinta, California — this year featuring a new ripple with the addition of pickleball.

The event mashed pickleball pros like Federico Staksrud, Michael Loyd, Shelby Bates and Callie Smith along with award-winning singer Jason Derulo, four-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka, and 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios.

It was a lighthearted affair, but it still provided a glimpse into how Kyrgios might fare on the pro pickleball circuit, with Staksrud beating him 11-4 in the only singles game played.

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