-
4 days ago | 
thedinkpickleball.com | Erik Tice
After over a month off from play to start the Major League Pickleball (MLP) season, the PPA Tour is back in action this week. The PPA Veolia Atlanta Pickleball Championships are taking place at the Life Time Peach Tree Corners, in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. The tournament is a Slam level tournament, meaning it is worth 2,000 PPA Points, instead of the normal 1,000 PPA Points for an Open level tournament.
-
5 days ago | 
thedinkpickleball.com | Erik Tice
There have been a lot of firsts this year in Major League Pickleball (MLP) and we are only two events into the season. Six player rosters instead of four (Premier Level only). Side-out scoring instead of rally scoring. "Stealing" of players. Well, the first Premier Level Waiver period is upon us, and this article covers everything you need to know. The Rules and a TimelineLet's start from the beginning. On January 22, MLP announced the competition structure for 2025.
-
1 week ago | 
thedinkpickleball.com | Erik Tice
The International Association of Pickleball Facilities (IAPF) held its first ever Regional Meetup in Scottsdale, Arizona, April 28th and 29th. The meetup was hosted by The Orchard, owned by Ashley Leroux and Patrick Sullivan Jr.The IAPF was founded by serial entrepreneur, David Johnson, in October 2024. Johnson has had many ties to the business of pickleball for nearly two decades.
-
2 weeks ago | 
thedinkpickleball.com | Erik Tice
Citing "lighting concerns" Ben Johns, and his brother Collin, have withdrawn for the remainder of the Major League Pickleball (MLP) Columbus Presented by The James at Ohio State event. Get the latest breaking news straight to your inbox by signing up for our free newsletter. Click here to subscribe. What Happened on the CourtThe MLP Columbus event began Thursday afternoon at 2pm with the Carolina Hogs facing off against the Phoenix Flames at the Pickle and Chill facility in Columbus, Ohio.
-
2 weeks ago | 
thedinkpickleball.com | Erik Tice
Just like that - we are already facing our second Major League Pickleball (MLP) event of the 2025 season. MLP is playing in back to back weekends, to start the season off. This event will not host all the teams, like MLP Orlando did. Instead, only nine teams are playing in MLP Columbus. The event will take place from Thursday through Sunday. Pickle and Chill, an indoor/outdoor facility with over twenty dedicated courts, will be hosting the event.
-
3 weeks ago | 
thedinkpickleball.com | Erik Tice
USA Pickleball Association (USAP), the national governing body for the sport of pickleball in the United States, is now countersuing Sport Squad, Inc., the parent company of JOOLA. On Friday, April 18, USAP filed a counterclaim in the $200 million lawsuit originally filed by Sport Squad, Inc. on June 12, 2024. Initial JOOLA LawsuitSport Squad, Inc. is the holding company for JOOLA, and other sporting companies. From this point forward, JOOLA will be referenced.
-
3 weeks ago | 
thedinkpickleball.com | Erik Tice
151 Days since the Dallas Flash took home the 2024 Major League Pickleball (MLP) Championship trophy, the 2025 MLP season is about to kick off in Orlando, Florida. The second full season of MLP action is nearly underway at the USTA National Campus for MLP Orlando. Top 5 Quick Facts and RemindersThe 12 teams that were Premier Level last year are staying Premier Level and the four Challenger Level teams that made the semifinals in the playoffs got promoted from Challenger to Premier.
-
3 weeks ago | 
thedinkpickleball.com | Erik Tice
Tennis icon Andre Agassi is stepping onto a new kind of court-this time as a professional pickleball player. The former world No. 1 in tennis announced he will make his debut at the Minto US Open Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida. Agassi is partnering with Anna Leigh Waters, the current top-ranked player on the women's side in singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. CBS Sports Network will air their first match together on Wednesday, April 30th, at noon EST.
-
3 weeks ago | 
thedinkpickleball.com | Erik Tice
The 2025 MLP season is three days away. For a full preview of the season, including rosters, power rankings, and predictions, check out our preview article:In honor of MLP kicking off this week, we at The Dink wanted to give the fans our top 10 matches from 2024. There were obviously great matches left off this list, but this top ten represents the most memorable MLP matches of 2024. They could be memorable for how high the stakes were, how long the match was, which line calls were being made, etc.
-
4 weeks ago | 
thedinkpickleball.com | Erik Tice
About a month ago, we provided a first look into the 2025 PPA Points Race. With a big break on the PPA Tour, we figured this would be a good time to provide an update. There have now been 11 events on the PPA Tour that count toward the 2025 PPA Race Points standings. According to the PPA Tour calendar of events, there are nine remaining tournaments on the docket for 2025. This would mean the season is halfway over in terms of number of events.
