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In an effort to mix things up and make the sport more spectator-friendly, the PPA Tour is testing narrower singles courts at its next four Challenger Tournaments. It’s certainly got people talking. But will it get them to tune in? We get into it below.

While we have your attention, voting ends this Sunday for The 120/Life Dink Awards. Help us crown the best pro players, the year’s top paddle, and more. Vote here.

In This Issue:
— Major upsets in Minnesota
— How to play a much better team
— Is a smaller singles court good for the game?

We ride.

Here’s a friendly PSA to take you into your weekend matches and beyond: if you’re having an issue with someone on the court, talk to them about it. Casually. Respectfully. Like a real human adult. You might find this clears up that minor annoyance before it snowballs into something bigger.

Yesterday, during round of 16 men’s singles action at the PPA Indoor National Championships, 19-year-old Cason Campbell toppled #3 Christian Alshon. Crazier still? Cam Chaffin beat #2 Federico Staksrud. Not familiar with Cam? Let’s start here: dude is only 14.

We talk a lot about new shots and techniques to keep up with the evolving pace of pickleball. But none of that matters if you’re not holding your paddle correctly. Pro Mari Humberg walks you through the three most common grips and when to use them.

JW, Jorja, and mom Julie Johnson are parting ways with Franklin Pickleball after spending the bulk of their illustrious pro careers sponsored by the company now famous for signing Anna Leigh Waters. No word yet on what paddle brand will snap them up next.

At the PPA Masters, first-time partners Zane Navratil and Blaine Hovenier ran into a buzzsaw in the round of 16: top-seeded duo (and eventual gold medalists) Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio.

Sure, anyone can win on any given day. But on this particular day, Zane and Blaine were heavily outmatched. And they knew it.

"We weren't going to out-dink that team," said Zane. "There's a zero-percent chance we do that.”

Instead, they chose chaos. And if you ever find yourself heavily outgunned, you should try the same.

Here's how Zane breaks it down:

"Anything can happen when you speed the ball up,” he adds. “The odds even out in more aggressive points."

Pickleball is a beautiful game. But sometimes, you've got to get messy to tip the scales in your favor.

(In case you're wondering, no: Zane and Blaine didn't beat Ben and Gabe. And it wasn't particularly close. But what matters is they had a plan. And we can all learn a valuable lesson from it.)

➡️ Zane explains.

This is Selkirk’s second crack at pickleball shoes, which honestly made us skeptical, because the first CourtStrike shoe was already perfection.

The 2.0 brings tougher, abrasion-resistant rubber on the spots you typically wear through shoes. The lighter, bouncier cushioning keeps your legs feeling fresh longer. Basically: better grip, less fatigue, and shoes that don’t tap out before you do.

Also, we’re kind of in love with the colors. Clean, modern, and way better than what most “court shoes” are doing right now. They come with a 6-month outsole warranty, which tells you how confident they are in these.

Take a look for yourself.

At the next four PPA Challenger Tournaments, the PPA Tour is testing a smaller singles court.

Specifically, as you can see above, two new sidelines will be added to effectively shrink the overall court width by three feet.

It’s all part of an “effort to create a more dynamic game and further highlight the athletic abilities of pro pickleball players,” the PPA posted to X.

So far, online reactions have been visceral and mixed. A few pros have even weighed in.

The PPA’s stance is clear: “This change will allow for longer points, fiercer battles, and a more exciting player and spectator experience.”

What do you think?

This is it. The final countdown before voting is locked for The 120/Life Dink Awards this Sunday.

If you haven’t submitted your picks yet, now is the time. The categories are stacked and the race is tight. Help us decide who comes out on top in major categories like:

It’ll only take a few minutes. The impact goes far beyond that.

➡️ VOTE NOW.

Hesacore paddle grips are one of those things we’ve been quietly recommending for a while now, especially to anyone whose hands look a little… tense between points.

The honeycomb shape naturally guides your fingers into a better position, spreads pressure across your hand, and somehow makes everything feel more controlled without you thinking about it. Softer touch at the net. More stability on drives. And hands that don’t feel cooked after two hours of play.

It’s subtle. You don’t notice it on the first swing.
Then you finish a full session and go, “Oh… yeah. This is better.”

If your grip ever feels too tight, too tiring, or just not quite right, this is a really easy upgrade that makes your paddle feel brand new.

Grip smarter. Not harder.

If you’ll recall, the gold-medal men’s doubles match between Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio and Hayden Patriquin and Christian Alshon at last week’s PPA Masters was aired on CBS.

And my oh my did it deliver.

According to the PPA Tour, that two-hour national television slot "delivered the most-watched pickleball broadcast ever, averaging 791,000 viewers and peaking at 1.05 million - outperforming NBA, Premier League, and top college basketball broadcasts in its time slot."

It also showed significant growth for pro pickleball compared to previously televised events.

"This was the largest pickleball broadcast of all time, showing real, sustained growth," PPA Tour Founder and CEO Connor Pardoe said on X. "The future is extremely bright, and this momentum is only the beginning."

➡️ Learn more.

A review from the Dink Fam...

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