Connor Pardoe is the most polarizing person in pickleball — and also the most powerful. He created the PPA Tour out of thin air and oversees many of the largest entities in the sport.

This week on the Pickleballers Podcast, the CEO of the UPA (which runs the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball) discusses how he fell in love with the game and the back-of-a-napkin math that ultimately became the biggest pickleball tour in the world.

More details below on our candid visit with Pardoe.

Also in this issue:

• Turn a good third-shot drop into an easy putaway ⚡️

• Inside look at life in the minor leagues of pickleball 👀

• Singles pickleball is getting better all the time 📈

• Explore the world while improving your game 🌏

• Find the right JOOLA paddle shape for your game 🛍️

Let’s get cookin’. 🧑‍🍳

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Singles pickleball is an underrated grind

Every point feels like running a sprint these days in singles at the pro level. Just check out a few of these great rallies from last weekend’s women’s final between Kaitlyn Christian and Kate Fahey at the PPA Tour Walgreens Open in Las Vegas.

Christian ultimately won 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, but both women would have been plenty deserving of the title. Doubles pickleball is still great and all, but the best athletes in the sport are battling 1-on-1, and we love to see it.

🔗 Check out this point on Instagram or Facebook

PICKLEBALLERS PODCAST

Connor Pardoe: The most powerful man in pickleball

This week on the Pickleballers Podcast, we sit down with the most powerful man in the sport — Connor Pardoe. The CEO of the UPA (which runs the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball) walks us through exclusivity deals with players, the pivotal partnership with Tom Dundon, the wild Kansas City “Tour Wars” weekend and how unifying pro pickleball under UPA changed everything.

This episode is a must-listen for anybody who is interested in the pro game.

🔗 Watch the full episode on YouTube or listen on Spotify

PICKLEBALLERS DOORDASH & PROTON 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 Proton pickleball paddle. Enter here!

INSTRUCTION

Turn a good third-shot drop into a point-ending putaway

In pickleball, landing the perfect putaway shot is like finding an open parking spot right by the entrance. It’s rare, but incredibly satisfying.

As you advance in the sport, you learn to level the playing field on offense by moving quickly through the transition zone to the all-important kitchen line.

One of the most effective ways to get there is with a third shot drop. A well-executed drop shot not only gets you closer to the net, but often forces your opponents into making a mistake, setting you up for the win.

When you hit a great drop shot that barely clears the net and dies near the kitchen, your opponents will likely try one last-ditch effort to keep you back. Typically, their responses fall into one of two categories:

1. A quick speedup shot aimed right at you, hoping to catch you off guard.

2. A dink attempt that doesn’t quite go as planned, popping the ball up just enough for you to strike.

Either way, stay sharp and ready. These moments are prime opportunities to finish the point with a strong putaway. After all, pickleball is all about patience, strategy and knowing when to close the deal.

🔗 More on how and when to move in and finish the point early

PICKLEBALL TRIPS

Explore Japan through pickleball

Visitors are often surprised to learn that mountains occupy over 70% of Japan’s total landmass. Nagano in particular, which is the focal point of this Pickleball Trips tour, is world famous for its rugged terrain. Set foot where few travelers outside Japan venture to take in stunning landscapes, visit age-old shrines, witness hot-spring-loving monkeys and sample regional cuisine.

Pickleball Trips was born in Japan out of a threefold passion for travel, relationships and pickleball. This true, insider experience perfectly balances hours of quality pickleball instruction with local play.

Follow Pickleball Trips on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

🔗 Learn more about Pickleball Trips here

THE PROS

'Barnstorming the country' -- a look at life in the minor leagues of pickleball

Earlier this year, the PPA Tour created a new series of events for up-and-coming players called the PPA Challenger Series. These tournaments have provided emerging players an opportunity to compete for PPA Tour ranking points, prize money and a chance to earn a UPA contract or wildcard entries into the main draw of PPA Tour events.

In these events, you’ll spot all types of characters, from perennial main draw competitors, hungry newcomers, veterans competing for the love of the sport and local players looking to test the waters at the pro level.

In 2025, The Kitchen contributor Jay Evans has traveled to Portland, Maine, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Rochester, New York, and Columbia, South Carolina, with a few more mid-sized cities on tap for the rest of the year.

This weekend, the tour will head to Orlando, Florida, for the Citrus Classic PPA Challenger, featuring the series' strongest field yet that includes PPA Tour veterans such as Travis Rettenmaier, Ava Ignatowich, Greg Dow and Alex and Angie Walker, to name a few.

For Evans, as a 30-something, five-point-something level player who’s played a few pro qualifiers over the past few years, the Challenger Series has provided numerous opportunities: The ability to compete at the highest level against some of the best in the world, an opportunity to travel and see new places and meet new people.

Many players fund their travel and tournament entry fees entirely out of pocket, cutting costs where possible to give it their best shot, in hopes that they can achieve the results to continue to the next level. This has meant 12+ hour drives to save on airfare and rental car costs, splitting hotels or Airbnb rentals, or staying with host families.

🔗 Check out this behind-the-scenes look at life on the PPA Challenger Series

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK

Find the right JOOLA paddle shape for your game

Back in the spring, JOOLA released their latest line of paddles — the Pro IV series. The new models have remained extremely popular among pros and amateurs alike throughout the year, so we figured it was time for a refresher on the different shapes in the lineup. If you’re in the market for a new paddle, check out our list of the top 10 paddles on the market right now — a couple of the JOOLA Pro IV paddles made the list.

Each Pro IV paddle comes in a 14mm and 16mm option, with the thinner versions offering more pop and maneuverability at the kitchen line. The thicker versions get more power on serves and drives from the baseline and more putaway power on overheads at the net.

🔗 Check out our in-depth look at how each shape affects performance

QUICK HITS

• Close call: We’re not sure what’s in or out anymore

• Phone gate: Turns out you can’t just stop the point whenever you want

• Tweeter ATP!?! … you gotta see this one

• Uh oh: Pickleball fights are wild

• The good stuff: Why watch US Open tennis when there’s this