Browsing: Pickleball News

Stu Upson, CEO of USA Pickleball, has been named as the first Commissioner of the National Pickleball League (NPL). Upson will join the inaugural and only champions professional pickleball league for players age 50+ from Thursday, June 1. Stu says, “I am very excited about joining the terrific team at NPL Pickleball and appreciate the league’s commitment to growing the game of pickleball and providing a home for our great Champions Pros.” Co-founder of NPL Pickleball and pro-baller Michael Chen added, “We are extremely pleased to have Stu join the NPL team. His experience in both business and the pickleball…

The local pickleball scene in Denver, CO, is fighting back against the Denver Parks and Recreation’s (DPR) recent plans to remove courts from two of the city’s popular parks. Denver attorney and avid pickleball player Hollynd Hoskins is leading the charge against parks officials’ decisions to ban the sport in certain areas of the city. As is true for the whole country, the pickleball scene in Denver has grown exponentially in recent years, and the little court space that’s available is in high demand. The loss of these parks is huge for local players, as it’s becoming increasingly difficult to…

Yesterday was Championship Sunday for the ninth stop on the 2023 PPA Tour. The PPA returned to Charlotte, NC for the second year of the OS1st North Carolina Open held at Life Time Charlotte. Championship Sunday saw a good mix of new and familiar faces. From the stellar debut performances by Jack Sock to the return of pickleball all-star Anna Leigh Waters, the North Carolina Open, there’s a lot to discuss – let’s jump right in! Men’s Singles – Federico Staksrud (1) vs. Tyson McGuffin (3) View this post on Instagram A post shared by CARVANA PPA TOUR (@ppatour) The…

Nick Kyrgios and fellow tennis star American Jack Sock are well-known for their off-court bromance. Sock recently posted an “eyes” emoji in reaction to a comment from Frances Tiafoe who commented underneath Krygios’ Instagram announcement that he would be captaining the John McEnroe team at the Laver Cup this year. Also a believer in pickleball, Kyrgios is a co-owner of the Miami Pickleball Club with Naomi Osaka and Mardy Fish. Kyrgios has now heaped praise on Sock after watching the American reach the men’s singles quarter-finals of his maiden pickleball tournament. Kyrgios posted “My boy @jack.sock already making pickle ball…

Fenway Park in downtown Boston will organize a professional and amateur pickleball tournament later this year. The event will provide Bostonians with an opportunity to participate in and watch the fastest-growing sport in the county in one of its most iconic sporting venues. Pickleball4America The competition is a part of the Pickleball4America Ballpark Festival Series™ featuring pro-am tournaments. Pickleball4America is a new company focusing on growing businesses centered around pickleball. It has made several announcements recently after its merger with the US Open Pickleball Championships® help last month in Naples, FL. Organizers, including the marketing section of Fenway Sports Group…

Pickleballers in and around Harrisburg, PA, will be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing indoor facilities very soon, with two new courts having been announced in the last week. The Ace Pickleball Club Georgia-based Ace Pickleball Club has recently expanded by offering 10 franchises around the US, including Florida, Indiana, and the one in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The co-owner of the new Harrisburg development Bob Miller says they are still in the real estate development stage but will be planning to open the club towards the end of this year. The whereabouts of the new club will be announced…

Major League Pickleball is back with its second Challenger Level Shuffle Draft of 2023’s Season 1. In preparation for MLP San Clemente, Challenger Level teams had the opportunity to change things up a bit and bring in some new talent. The draft consisted of a singular round where teams were given the opportunity to place a player on waivers in order to pick up a player from the pool of eligible DUPR-ranked players. Here’s a list of the draft picks in order, starting with the first overall pick by the AZ Drive: Our Top 3 New MLP Players Judit Castillo…

Pickleball is a sport often lauded for its high levels of accessibility. Anyone can participate in the game regardless of age, background, or athletic experience. We’ve seen people rally around one another to bring a higher level of inclusivity to the game. Whether in the form of dedicated wheelchair pickleball tournaments, as seen at Pickleball England’s English Nationals, or through DUPR and MLP’s recently announced initiatives to make the sport more accessible for college and youth pickleball players, pickleball is at its core inherently about building a community. An excellent example of this community-focused mindset can be found in the…

Major League Pickleball (MLP by Margaritaville) and the foremost pickleball rating provider, Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR), have officially set a collegiate and junior verticals program in motion. More Pickleball Opportunities This initiative will allow college and youth pickleball programs to partner with prominent organizations, as DUPR and MLP launch a formal structure enabling more opportunities for younger athletes to get into and play pickleball. MLP and DUPR will use their respective rules, regulations, and player ratings knowledge to connect the collegiate and junior games with the professional one. National Collegiate Championships Last month, they held the inaugural National Championship…

The PPA is heading down to beautiful Charlotte, NC this weekend for its ninth tour stop of the 2023 season. Hosted at Life Time Charlotte, over 900 players will compete in the tour’s standard singles and doubles formats. At the previous PPA tournament, the Newport Beach Doubles Shootout, we saw several new faces take home some hardware, including the sibling duo of Jorja and J.W. Johnson who won their first gold medal together in mixed doubles. This week, we will see the return of some classic partnerships and some new exciting ones to watch out for! Women’s Singles View this…