Quang Duong kicked off pro tour

Can not playing pickleball help you play better pickleball? 🤔

July 15, 2025

 

The pickleball world woke up to a surprise Saturday morning when it was announced that Quang Duong had his contract with the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball terminated due to multiple breaches.

The harsh action came after Duong attended multiple pickleball events in his family’s native Vietnam without prior approval from the United Pickleball Association — the governing body of the PPA Tour and MLP.

It all went down in the middle of the MLP Mid-Season Tournament, which Duong had skipped to go to Vietnam. We break down the bizarre sequence of events below.

Also in this issue:

  • This is the kind of hands battle we all live for 🤯

  • The Dallas Flash are your MLP Mid-Season Tournament champs 🏆

  • Q&A with author of pickleball strategy book 📕

  • Can not playing pickleball help you play better pickleball? 🤔

  • The Kitchen founder tries Burger King’s new Pickleball burger in Japan

  • From tennis star to pickleball underdog: Sam Querrey joins Pickleballers 🎧

  • Mid-year paddle check-in — our current top 10 🤓

Let’s cook. 🧑‍🍳

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

This is why pickleball is the greatest sport in the world

You might have seen this clip making the rounds late last week, but even if you did, we promise it’s worth another watch (and listen).

Blaine Hovenier goes full takeover mode in the middle of a point and starts firing bullets at Gabe Tardio and Hayden Patriquin, but the St. Louis Shock teammates are up for the challenge.

PICKLEBALLERS PODCAST

Sam Querrey shares wild stories from life on pro tennis tour

In case you missed it last week, tennis legend Sam Querrey joined the Pickleballers Podcast for a wide-ranging discussion that touched on everything from him beating Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon to why he once promised he’d be top 10 in pickleball within 6 months.

They also debate how long it would take Carlos Alcaraz to be a top 5 singles pickleball player.

Pickleballers co-hosts Jared Paul and Roscoe Bellamy also get Querrey to share some wild stories of life on the pro tennis tour.

🔗 Watch the full episode on YouTube or Spotify

THE PROS

Dallas Flash win MLP Mid-Season Tournament over St. Louis Shock

The Dallas Flash continued their dominant and undefeated 2025 season this weekend, winning all four of their matches in regulation and claiming the Mid-Season Tournament title with a 3-1 win on Sunday over the St. Louis Shock.

It was the first meeting of the season between the consensus top 2 teams, and it didn't disappoint, coming down to the wire in the second mixed matchup.

Sunday's scoreline - Dallas def. St. Louis 3-1
Tyra Black/Jorja Johnson def. Anna Bright/Kate Fahey 11-3
Hayden Patriquin/Gabe Tardio def. JW Johnson/Augie Ge 11-4
Johnson/Johnson def. Bright/Patriquin 11-5
Black/Ge def. Fahey/Tardio 12-10

LAS VEGAS CLAIMS MID-SEASON CHALLENGER LEVEL TITLE

The Las Vegas Night Owls topped the Nashville Chefs -- The Kitchen's MLP team -- in the Challenger Level final, which was one of the most entertaining matches of the weekend.

Las Vegas' Pablo Tellez came up huge in the Dreambreaker, winning 4 straight points toward the end of the match, and Brooke Buckner closed it out with some great points of her own to give the Night Owls a 22-20 win.

TRENDING

The pickleball world got a jolt over the weekend when 19-year-old PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball phenom Quang Duong had his contract with the United Pickleball Association terminated due to another breach (the second in the past two months).

Duong had reportedly told his Major League Pickleball team -- the Los Angeles Mad Drops -- that he needed to miss this week's Mid-Season Tournament because he was having a medical operation in his family's native Vietnam. But it became known to the UPA that Duong had attended pickleball events while he was there that weren't sanctioned by the league, and he had not gotten prior approval.

Duong was suspended and fined $50,000 for a similar instance toward the end of May. Now the UPA has said enough is enough.

FEATURED STORY

New book offers a deep dive into pickleball strategy

After years of playing, observing and studying pickleball strategy, Payton Bond decided it was time to put pen to paper to fill a gap in the pickleball instructional space. His new book, Pickleball Strategy: A Guide to 3.5 and Beyond, is aimed at helping players reach the next level by understanding not just what to do, but why and when to do it.

We recently caught up with Bond for a Q&A about why he decided to write the book and what he sees as the most important aspects of pickleball instruction.

Q: Why did you decide to write a book about pickleball? What gap in pickleball instruction does your book fill?

Bond: Many books are either geared toward beginners or focus on high-level competitive mindset. There wasn’t much available that focused on strategy and mindset for intermediate players trying to break through to the next level. I also didn’t see many books with comprehensive coverage that included lots of diagrams for players who learn visually.

Q: What do you hope people take away from the book?

Bond: That strategy, not just technique, is the key to improving in pickleball. I hope readers walk away with a clearer sense of court positioning, decision-making and how to avoid common mistakes.

INSTRUCTIONAL

How taking a break from pickleball can actually help your game

Playing pickleball is arguably one of the most fun things on the planet. That is evident by the millions of people who do it every day.

But sometimes you can have TOO MUCH of a good thing. Whether it’s ice cream, beer, or in this case pickleball, more is not always better.

So if you’re in a rut, consider putting down the paddle for a couple days. Here’s how a break can help ⬇️

THE MENTAL GAME

If you’re playing all the time, you can start to lose focus and feel like you’re just going through the motions.

Taking a break can be huge for your mental game. It also can make you genuinely excited to hit the courts again, rather than doing it because it’s just part of your routine.

THE PHYSICAL GAME

Our bodies need rest — even if you’re in your 20s and full of Reign Storm. At some point, your body will simply not function as well as it could if you took a break.

There’s no need to take multiple days or weeks off, but work in one day a week or a few days a month where you take a break.

Do you notice improvement in your game after a short break from pickleball?

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PRODUCT(S) OF THE WEEK

Mid-year paddle check-in

There have been tons of new paddle releases this year from several top brands.

So we thought it would be a good time for a mid-year check-in on where things stand in the world of pickleball paddles. You can find our current top 10 list on our website, but below are a few notable models.

NEW TO THE TOP 10

Franklin C45 Dynasty — The new elongated version of the Franklin C45 has been a popular choice among pros such as JW Johnson and Hayden Patriquin. It was released in June and is currently No. 7 on our list. Of the C45 models, the Dynasty shape is the most powerful, making it ideal for players who want to go on offense.

STILL TOP DOG

JOOLA Perseus Pro IV — This has been at No. 1 on our list since it was released in March, and while several paddles have jumped into the top 10 since then, we haven’t thought twice about moving anything ahead of the Perseus Pro IV (or the Hyperion Pro IV, which is No. 1B on the list). Check out our breakdown of the entire Pro IV lineup here.

QUICK HITS

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