The most effective shot you're not using

Best dressed at the US Open. Pickle pro battles Crohn's disease.

May 07, 2025

Pickleball pros get a lot of attention for their on-court antics, from highlight-reel shots to colorful trash talk. But it’s not all fun and games. Take it from Rob Nunnery—after a 2023 Crohn’s diagnosis, he’s fighting his way back to pro form, and documenting the tumultuous journey along the way.

His story, and much more, below.  

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In This Issue:
— PPA announces five new events in Asia
— Rob Nunnery’s road to recovery—and the podium
— The most slept-on shot in amateur play

Away we go.

Our Picks ☝️

🔥 Winners: US Open Best Dressed

Over 1,000 medals are handed out at the US Open, but our pick for the most fire fits might be the best. See who wore it best.

👀 Posted: ‘No contract. Just results.’

APP pro Grayson Goldin, hot off a silver medal at the US Open, just posted a cryptic X message: “No contract. No guarantees. Just results.” Is the PPA next?

💬 Business: Facility Owners Unite

Dozens of pickleball facility operators met in Scottsdale, AZ, to share best practices in the increasingly competitive landscape. The takeaway: Think like a pickleball player.

🤬 Mayhem: 2 hours, 4 games

The culture of open play is complicated—it can be fun and social, and yet so impossibly frustrating. One Reddit user laments the reality of a packed paddle rack.

The Most Slept-on Weapon in Amateur Pickleball

Amateur players rarely use the offensive lob, even though it might be the most effective shot they’re not using.

It’s simple. It’s sneaky. And yeah—it’s tough to pull off. But these tips will help:

✅ Take it out of the air. Hitting your lob out of the air (instead of letting it bounce) adds surprise and gives your opponent less time to react.

✅ Set the trap. Dink a few times to build a rhythm. That low, repetitive exchange lulls opponents in, and makes your lob way more disguised.

✅ Attack diagonally. Lobbing cross-court gives you more space to work with and creates extra confusion between your opponents.

Instead of a dink or speedup, this is the last shot they’re expecting from that spot. And by taking it early, you shrink their reaction window. Aim for the far corner and watch them scramble.

Rafa’s Weapon of Choice

Dink fam, if you’ve watched Rafa Hewett lately, you’ve seen the Metalbone paddle doing work.

This paddle is built for serious play. Heavy on power, dialed in for control, and designed to keep up when points get long and movement gets scrappy.

Want to know where to grab one? We’ll let the link do the talking.

One Pro’s Road to Recovery—and the Podium

Since a 2023 Crohn’s diagnosis, Selkirk pro Rob Nunnery has been open about his health journey, including a major surgery late last year. Now, he’s eyeing a return.

Nunnery’s Toughest Opponent
Nunnery has faced elite competition on court, turning pro in 2020 and winning double-gold at an APP event in New York in 2023. But his biggest battle has been with Crohn’s. After months of debilitating symptoms, Nunnery struggled with weight loss, fatigue, and pain so severe it left him bedridden.

A Hard-Fought Diagnosis
It took several months, multiple doctors, and many tests to confirm Crohn’s. Nunnery began treatment with medication, but ultimately decided on a colostomy late in 2024. “The pain I was living with just got to the point where I would happily have traded anything else for it,” he says.

Back in the Game
Despite the physical toll, Nunnery has eased back into pro play, with tournaments this month scheduled in Dubai and New York. “I’m going to put my toe back in the water, see how it goes, and try not to have too high expectations for myself,” he says.

PPA Tour Asia Announces 2025 Schedule

PPA Tour Asia just announced its inaugural 2025 season, with five events across the continent and a mission to crown Asia’s top pro. The season begins in July with the Panas Kuala Lumpur Open and builds toward the marquee China Slam, set for October 1–5 during China’s Golden Week.

Tournaments are divided into three tiers—Slams, Cups, and Opens—offering ranking points and prize pools ranging from $50K to $1M. Expect a mix of top American and Australian pros alongside Asia’s rising stars.

The full calendar:
— Panas Kuala Lumpur Open | July 3–6
— Hong Kong Open | August 21–24
— Sansan Fukuoka Open | August 26–31
— China Slam | October 1–5
— Kuala Lumpur Cup | October 9–12

With growing momentum across Asia—especially in Malaysia—PPA Tour Asia is positioning pickleball as a premier sport on the continent.

Big Update for the Northeast Regional

In case you missed it, we’ve got a major update for the Northeast Regional Showdown.

The Brooklyn Pickleball Team is teaming up with All State Pickleball to cohost the event on May 17th at Robbinsville Pickleball House in New Jersey.

Teams will be competing for a Dream Ticket to the 2025 Dink MiLP National Championships. Plus, it’s your chance to play your way onto the Brooklyn Pickleball Team’s Minor League roster.

Team spots are limited, so now’s the time to lock it in.

APP Tour Announces ‘Breakthrough Series’ for Aspiring Pros

The APP Tour is back in action May 7-11 at Sawyer Park in downtown Cincinnati, OH, the sixth event of the 2025 calendar season.

The biggest storylines are three pros chasing records:

  • Megan Fudge needs just one medal to reach 69 total career top-three finishes, the most ever

  • Chris Haworth now has 10 APP Tour men’s singles gold medals—one more makes him the winningest men’s singles player in APP Tour history

  • Will Howells is coming off a triple crown in APP Fort Lauderdale—can he make it an astonishing two in a row?

The APP Tour today also announced the Breakthrough Series of events, open to players 3.0 and above looking to crack into the pro circuit.

Five APP Breakthrough Series events will be held across the nation in 2025:

  • Boise, ID | Sept. 4-7

  • Brigham City, UT | Sept. 24-27

  • Griffin, GA | Oct. 16-19

  • Detroit, MI | Oct. 23-26

  • Robbinsville, NJ | Nov. 6-9

Players in these events have the opportunity to earn additional points, rankings and prize money, ultimately paving a pathway to “breakthrough” into APP Tour competitions.

👉 For our full APP Cincinnati preview, including how to watch, read this.

Headlines & Quick Hits

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