The MLP playoffs are here

Thomas Wilson discusses emotional journey on Pickleballers Podcast

August 14, 2025

 

After 10 weeks of regular season events, the Major League Pickleball playoffs are here, starting Friday in San Diego.

The St. Louis Shock are looking to show why they are the No. 1 seed. Dallas is defending its 2024 title. New Jersey and Anna Leigh Waters have unfinished business after falling just short last year. And Los Angeles, now with Ben Johns in the lineup, could play spoiler for all of them.

We dive into those storylines and more below, but one thing is for sure: If you were going to pick one weekend of the year to watch pro pickleball, this weekend would be high on the list.

Also in this issue:

  • Thomas Wilson discusses emotional health battle on Pickleballers 🎙️

  • This early-days MLP clip had us reminiscing 🥲

  • The Kitchen Open Austin is right around the corner 🏆

  • Up your game with the Erne ball machine 📈

  • The right way to handle serve disputes 🤝

  • Last day to vote on MLP postseason awards 🅜🅥🅟

Let’s get cookin’. 🧑‍🍳

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

The moment Anna Leigh Waters became a badass

In honor of the MLP playoffs starting this week, we dug up a memorable clip from the early days of the league — 2023 Mesa.

Anna Leigh Waters, then just 16, went toe-to-toe with Tyson McGuffin (in his mullet era) in a Dreambreaker that had everybody in the packed stands on the edge of their seat. The drama that unfolded proved to everybody at the time that the tiebreaker singles format had real potential and the fledgling league had real momentum.

PICKLEBALLERS PODCAST

Thomas Wilson’s fight for his life: The most inspiring story in pickleball

Thomas Wilson, one of the most athletic, entertaining and beloved players in pro pickleball, joins the Pickleballers crew this week for an inspiring and emotional episode. Thomas opens up about his journey from college tennis to the pro pickleball stage, his battles with life-threatening health challenges and the resilience it’s taken to fight his way back.

He shares his long road through fertility struggles, the joy of adopting two beautiful daughters and his hopes to return to the court. Packed with personal stories, behind-the-scenes moments from MLP and heartfelt reflections, this episode is a must-listen for fans of the game and the man behind the paddle.

🔗 Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen on Spotify

PICKLEBALLERS DOORDASH & JOOLA PADDLE GIVEAWAY: Each week we’re doing a Pickleballers giveaway to celebrate the latest episode. This week we are giving away a $500 DoorDash gift card & a JOOLA PRO IV pickleball paddle of the winner’s choosing. Enter here!

THE PROS

It all comes down to this — MLP playoffs start Friday

The top 10 teams in the Major League Pickleball Premier Level standings and all six Challenger Level teams will be in action this weekend in San Diego for the first and second rounds of the playoffs. The final four in Premier and top two teams in Challenger will advance to the MLP Finals in New York City next week.

MLP San Diego kicks off Friday with first-round matches between the lower seeds that will determine who advances to the quarterfinals.

Here's how the seeding shook out, with the top 6 teams getting a first-round bye.

1. St. Louis Shock
2. Dallas Flash
3. New Jersey 5s
4. Brooklyn Pickleball Team
5. Columbus Sliders
6. Los Angeles Mad Drops
7. Texas Ranchers
8. Orlando Squeeze
9. Utah Black Diamonds
10. Miami Pickleball Club

FIRST ROUND

  • Seeds 7–10 face off in single-elimination matches.

  • No. 7 Texas had the benefit of selecting their opponent, and they chose to play Miami. That means Orlando and Utah will play in the other first-round matchup.

  • Winners advance and are re-seeded as No. 7 and No. 8 for the quarterfinals.

SECOND ROUND (QUARTERFINALS)

  • Seeds 1–6, plus the two First Round winners (now seeded 7–8), compete in best-of-three match series. Higher seeds (starting with No. 1 seed St. Louis) choose their opponent from seeds 5–8.

  • Most likely quarterfinal matchups: St. Louis vs. winner of Utah/Orlando; Dallas vs. Texas (assuming Texas beats Miami); New Jersey vs. Columbus; Brooklyn vs. Los Angeles.

At the Challenger Level, the Las Vegas Night Owls ran away with the No. 1 seed, followed by the Nashville Chefs -- The Kitchen's MLP team -- at No. 2.

TRENDING

Speaking of MLP, today is the last day to vote on players for the postseason awards. Voting — which can be done here — closes at 5 p.m. ET.

Nominees were selected by media members, who were asked to submit three men and three women at the Premier Level and two men and two women at the Challenger Level for the following awards: Most Valuable Player and Most Improved Player.

INSTRUCTION

Pickleball serve legality: Disputes, drop serves and avoiding drama

Ah, the pickleball serve legality dispute -- a classic tale as old as the kitchen line.

If you’re using the traditional volley serve, chances are you’ll eventually hear an opponent yell, “That serve isn’t legal!” And let’s be honest, they might not even be sure what the rules are; they just don’t like losing.

WHY SERVE LEGALITY GETS TRICKY

The rules for the traditional volley serve are pretty specific:

  1. Hit the ball below the waist.

  2. Use an upward motion.

  3. Keep the paddle below your wrist at contact.

These rules make perfect sense when you read them, but it can be hard to judge in real-time, especially from across the court. Is it legal? Is it not? Cue the drama.

HOW TO HANDLE SERVE CHALLENGES LIKE A PRO

If someone questions your serve, take the high road:

  • Stay calm: No need to channel your inner pickleball lawyer.

  • Acknowledge their concern: A simple, “Thanks for pointing that out,” works wonders.

  • Switch to a drop serve: “I believe my serve is legal, but I’ll switch to a drop serve to keep the game going.”

Handling it this way shows sportsmanship and avoids unnecessary drama. Later, grab a partner and review your traditional serve to make sure it’s on point for future games.

Have you ever gotten into a serve dispute during a rec game?

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PRODUCT OF THE WEEK

Practice a thousand returns a day with ERNE

ERNE was developed and brought to market by three diehard pickleballers, who simply wanted more from their pickleball machines.

They wanted a larger hopper, so they could spend more time hitting instead of picking balls up. They wanted better precision and control. They wanted a longer battery life, better portability, sturdier materials, etc. So the ERNE Team developed the ultimate drilling partner.

QUICK HITS

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