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Respond to a lob with patience
We're down to the Top 15 on our Pickleball Power 50 list
We’ve reached the final days of revealing our Pickleball Power 50 series, a ranking of the most influential people in pickleball. So far the list has included investors, pro players, league executives, paddle company owners, podcasters and more.
Now we’re down to the Top 15. Stay tuned this week to find out who we consider to be the most powerful person in the entire industry. You can find Nos. 16-50 here. Learn more below.
Also in this issue:
We’re giving away a $300 Pickleball Central gift card 🎁
How to respond to a lob with patience 👀
The PPA Masters never disappoints 🌴
Big-name investors launch new racket sport TYPTI 🧐
Anna Leigh Waters’ signature Franklin paddle now on pre-sale 🙌
Let’s get cookin’. 🧑🍳
NEW YEAR, NEW GEAR GIVEAWAY
Win a $300 Pickleball Central gift card
To celebrate the New Year we are partnering with Pickleball Central to give away a $300 gift card to the Pickleball Central online store. 💵
HOW TO ENTER
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HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK
They don’t call ‘em the GOATs for nothing 🐐
Championship Sunday at the PPA Masters gave us an early nominee for match of the year. Anna Leigh Waters/Ben Johns outlasted Anna Bright/Hayden Patriquin 11-7, 7-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-4 in a mixed doubles final that lasted more than 2 hours.
At one point Bright/Patriquin looked to be in control of the match, but Waters/Johns made some critical adjustments in Games 4 and 5 to take the title.
Just watch their level of calm during this point. Under duress after the lob and pinned back at the baseline, there’s absolutely zero panic. They slowly work their way back to the kitchen, fight off the attacks, and then ALW pounces like a cat to end the point.
🔗 Check out this highlight on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok
PICKLEBALL POWER 50
Introducing Nos. 16-20 on our Power 50 list
We recently launched our Pickleball Power 50 series, a ranking of the most influential people in pickleball. The list includes investors, CEOs, players, league executives, team owners, creators, podcasters, operators and more.
Today we dropped Nos. 16-20, which includes some big names that fans will recognize as well as behind-the-scenes operatives. Stay tuned to find out who is in the Top 10 later this week!
16. Jason Aspes – President of the United Pickleball Association of America, he oversees the governing body for the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball. Jason is responsible for player safety, competitive fairness, and managing the paddle approval process, playing a central role in standards enforcement at the highest level of professional pickleball.
17. Al Tylis – Co-founder of the D.C. Pickleball Team, formerly the Brooklyn Pickleball Team, he was a major investor in the merger of Major League Pickleball and the PPA Tour. Al also serves as a board member of the UPA, influencing league governance, ownership alignment, and the long-term commercial structure of professional pickleball.
18. Jason Stein – Co-founder and Managing Partner of SC Holdings, Jason is one of the largest investors in Major League Pickleball. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the UPA, playing an active role in ownership strategy, league governance, and the long-term commercial direction of professional pickleball.
19. Ryan Harwood – Co-Owner and General Manager of the New Jersey 5s and manager and agent for Anna Leigh Waters, Ryan is widely regarded as one of the most influential operators in Major League Pickleball. He helped bring Gary Vee into the sport, built the 5s into a consistent title contender with one of the league’s most engaged fanbases, and led the negotiations behind Anna Leigh’s Franklin and Nike deals.
20. Charles Darling – Founder of Proton Pickleball, he launched the brand in 2024 and quickly scaled it into an international operation. Now an MLP team owner and top PPA and MLP sponsor, Charles has signed dozens of pro athletes, launched a pickleball academy abroad, and donates returned paddles to help expand access to the sport worldwide.
THE PROS
Anna Leigh Waters wins 40th Triple Crown at PPA Tour Masters
Anna Leigh Waters has had a lot of great weeks on the PPA Tour over the years, but last week will go down as arguably her best -- both on the court and off.
She signed a long-term paddle contract with Franklin (rumored to be worth well in the millions), then followed that up with an apparel and shoe deal with Nike.
With the paperwork out of the way, she hit the court at at Mission Hills Country Club in Palm Springs, California, to defend her titles in all three divisions at one of the biggest tournaments on the pickleball calendar -- the PPA Tour Masters.
It involved some tense moments along the way, but in the end she walked away with her fourth straight Triple Crown at the event and 40th overall. Find our full recap here.
RIGHT BACK AT IT
The PPA Tour has a quick turnaround this week, going from sunny California to frigid Minnesota for the Indoor National Championships.
This week’s event is being held at the Life Time in the Minneapolis suburb of Lakeville, an indoor facility that has dozens of courts.
Main draw matches started on Tuesday, with one round in every division to be played each day through Championship Sunday. This week's tournament is an Open, so it is worth 1,000 ranking points for the winners in each division.
FEATURED STORY
Tennis Channel founder, other big-name investors launch new racket sport TYPTI
Tennis Channel Founder Steve Bellamy has teamed up with a group of high-profile investors to launch a new sport called TYPTI, with professional, amateur, collegiate and high school competitions planned in the coming year.
Never heard of TYPTI? Here’s the basics:
Played on a standard pickleball court.
Players use a 22-inch strung racket.
Uses a 3.5-inch diameter channeled foam ball.
New scoring system different from pickleball or tennis.
TYPTI will launch with a national circuit, major partnerships and committed top players to grow the sport rapidly, according to a news release.
The all-skill level national competitive play circuit will begin with the first event on Feb. 25 at the Calabasas Pickleball Club in Los Angeles. The professional division will guarantee more than $100,000 in total prize money with at least $500,000 of prize money events in the first year.
Year 2 events will have more than $1,000,000 in prize money, featuring an integrated draw allowing players from all over the U.S. to participate locally to start.
“We’re creating an infrastructure of tennis and pickleball clubs, entrepreneurs, family offices, racket sport mavens and lovers, and cities who understand the economic impact of participatory sports,” Bellamy said. “We’re sanctioning tournaments and league teams, and looking for brands wanting to leverage sports to market their products. We’re also scouring the country for amazing players who can be the first generation of TYPTI stars. Basically, we’re building a really smart racket sport and creating a community for the infrastructure.”
A mixture of badminton and tennis, the sport is nearly noiseless and easy on the body, with low shock at impact and no overhead serve. It’s easy and fun for beginners and chess-like for the pros, Bellamy said.
GEAR
Anna Leigh Waters’ signature Franklin paddle now available for pre-order
Anna Leigh Waters' new signature Franklin paddle is now available for pre-order. It's a widebody model in the C45 line that comes in three thicknesses (12.7mm, 14mm and 16mm). If you’re unfamiliar with Franklin’s existing C45 paddles, you can find our review of the entire series here.
The new model is called the Aurelius, which is a Latin word meaning golden (and Au is the symbol for gold in the periodic table of elements). It’s expected to ship March 1 and Franklin says they are experiencing high demand. So if you’re interested in getting your hands on one of these anytime soon, we’d recommend getting your order in now.
QUICK HITS
She made it: Anna Leigh Waters gets a mention by Jimmy Fallon
Legal or nah? You be the judge
Skill level 1,000: Can pickleball get any better than this?
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