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Someone's juicing paddles

Someone's juicing paddles

Jack Sock is the real deal. MLP Shuffle Draft.

The paddle juicer.

Rumor has it there is a mysterious figure “fixing” paddles for those that know where to find him.

According to one unnamed pro, there are 6+ pro players sending their paddles to this person for extra ‘juice.’ But what is ‘juice,’ exactly? Our guess is deliberate and strategic delamination, which would increase power, among other things.

But that’s just speculation. More to come on this one.

In This Issue:

Setting some erne ground rules
Jack Sock is the real deal
APP results
MLP Shuffle Draft incoming

Let’s get physical.

APP Sacramento Open Results

A Lesson In What Not To Do

If your partner whiffs an erne attempt, don't speed the ball up.

When they decide to go erne hunting, your options change. Most notably, the option to speedup goes bye-bye.

As Stefan Auvergne and Brendon Long found out Saturday, there's just too much court to cover. Let’s break it down:

Long leaves the court on an erne attempt
Auvergne fields a waist-high bail and decides to attack
Across the net, Andrei Daescu easily blocks the ball into the vacant court left by Long
—> Point over

Failed erne attempts are not a bad thing. They put pressure on the opponent and help calibrate for the next successful erne attempt. The rules just change when one fails.

Your responsibility becomes buying time for your partner to get back into play. That usually means a safe, angled dink in the kitchen.

The more time you create, the better. The other team will likely target your partner with their next shot because there's a good chance they're on the move and not fully ready to return.

This rule doesn't apply if the other team leaves the ball high. If they leave a floater or you have a chance to hit down at the ball, swing away. Just don't go trying to create while your partner is lost in the woods trying to track down their next highlight.

Don't forget to share this with your partner so they can return the favor when your erne attempt goes awry.

While you're at it, share the referral link below with your pickleball crew to earn paddles, merch, and more from top brands. Earn rewards as friends sign up for our newsletter.

Consistency, Game After Game

The official ball of both the Amateur Pickleball Association & the Southern Pickleball Association offers enhanced flight, bounce, and playability.

Designed for competitive and tournament play, these high-speed pickleballs are USA Pickleball approved, have a firmer feel off the paddle, and are exceptionally durable, game after game.

Buy them here.

Everyone: Jack Sock is the Real Deal

Everyone is talking about Jack Sock’s pro pickleball debut this weekend at the PPA North Carolina Open. He’ll play alongside Anna Leigh Waters and Tyson McGuffin for mixed and men’s, respectively.

He’s not exactly slumming it, partner wise.

In December, he played in an exhibition at the PPA Bubly Team Championships in which a few tennis pros paired with pickleball pros for some competitive play.

The reviews were positive, Sock impressed the pros, and many noted his potential.

But why do people care so much?

Sock at the PPA Bubly Team Championships in December

First, who is Jack Sock? His pro tennis resume:

17 career doubles titles. Highest Rank: #2 (2018), current #47
Wimbledon Champion, Doubles (2016, 2022)
US Open Champion, Doubles (2018)
4 career singles titles. Highest rank: #8 (2017), current #143
$11 million+ in prize money on tour

Sock is a Charlotte native and this weekend’s PPA is in his backyard. But that’s not the only reason he’s making his debut.

According to Sock himself, his interest in pickleball has evolved. It’s graduated from a fun hobby to something more serious. In fact, he recently told Pro Rob Nunnery that he plans to play a full slate of PPA Tour stops in 2024.

But we’ve already seen that success on the pb circuit is dependent on more than just a pro tennis resume. According to some, his resume isn’t the only thing that has many pros believing that Sock could do some serious damage on tour.

Nunnery and Adam Stone, co-hosts of the It feels Right podcast, discussed Sock’s upside in a recent episode. The gist:

Nunnery: he will be the most athletic guy on tour
Explosive first step, long reach at 6’3”
He’s obsessed. He loves practicing and drilling. He’s a true student of the game
Sock told Nunnery he hasn’t been as excited to practice anything since he was a junior tennis player (and we all know how that turned out)

And finally, Nunnery made a bet: Sock will be the #1 men’s doubles player on tour inside of two years. Stone’s response: he bets it’s less.

Daescu Doubles in Northern California

Andrei Daescu, the Romanian Tower, and newly appointed Director of the APP Academy celebrated his new title with two golds in Sacramento.

Daescu is one of the biggest (literally biggest) doubles threats in the game. He partnered up with Susannah Barr and Pesa Teoni and started a hot streak. Daescu won double gold in back-to-back APP events and shows no sign of slowing down.

Yates Johnson finally, finally got the better of twin brother Hunter Johnson. Reminds me of Danny O'Shea racing Kevin O'Shea down Cherry Hill.

No matter what happens after this, Yates will always have this 'one time.' (The full motivational speech from Little Giants can be found here).

A withdrawal from Megan Fudge gave Judit Castillo her first APP gold. A silver medal at the US Open last week and gold in Sacramento this week, it appears Castillo will be a podium staple on the APP Tour in 2023.

Fudge did participate in the women's doubles final. She and Bobbi Oshiro forced the reigning champs to three games but couldn't deliver on gold. Simone Jardim and Parris Todd won another crown and are on fire together in 2023.

The next stop for the APP Tour is in Cincinnati. The Vlasic Classic (bravo) starts May 10th.

Challenger Champs Lose a Key Piece

It's shuffle draft week in the MLP Challenger Level. The list of draft-eligible players is out, and teams must now decide if they want to drop a player to enter the draft or move forward with their current squad.

Teams entering the shuffle draft select their new players on Thursday, May 4. They’ll have just over a month to build some chemistry before the season championships in June.

One team has already announced a roster move. The reigning back-to-back champs, Bay Area Breakers, will lose Rachel Summers for a military training program.

Possible replacements include APP Sacramento medalists Judit Castillo and Rianna Valdes. The list also includes former American Ninja Warrior contestant Jennifer Tavernier, along with a host of others.

Click here to see a current list of draft-eligible players as well as the team draft order.