Pickleball snubbed by the Olympic Board | The Mediterranean Open arrives at the Rafa Nadal Academy

The Olympic Games Board of Directors say “No” to Pickleball at the LA 2028 Olympics

This week the Olympic Games board of directors announced its proposal to include 5 new sports as part of the LA 2028 Olympics sports program…and pickleball is not one of them.

Given that the games are being hosted in the USA where Pickleball is most popular it was felt that there was a chance it might be included in the lineup.

LA28 Games, a private company charged with bringing the games to LA has proposed the inclusion of the following sports:

• Baseball-Softball

• Flag Football

• Cricket

• Lacrosse

• Squash

The International Olympic Committee will vote on these proposed sports on the 16th of October in Mumbai.

These new sports would join the 28 planned Olympic events that include aquatics, archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, canoe, cycling, equestrian, fencing, soccer, golf, gymnastics, handball, hockey, judo, rowing, rugby, sailing, shooting, skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, and wrestling.

Maybe at Brisbane 2032?

Share the Pickleball Addiciton newsletter ❤️

Do you know anyone who would be interested in this newsletter? Do you run a pickleball club and would your members find this interesting? If so, please forward the newsletter on, so that we can share pickleball with more people!
www.pickleballaddiction.news.

The Mediterranian Open is to be held at the
Rafal Nadal Academy 🎾

The Rafal Nadal Academy will host the first Mediterranean Open between the 8th-10th December 2023.

This epic sports complex is an homage to racquet sports already featuring 19 hard-court tennis courts, 15 outdoor clay courts, 7 covered clay courts, 4 indoor courts, 2 squash courts, and 15 Padel courts. Now the Rafa Nadal Academy will also add pickleball courts to that list, with 1 already installed this week and more to be installed ahead of the tournament in December.

Beyond that, it also has facilities to support other sports, a school, a hospital, a gym, swimming pools, restaurants, a spa, and accommodation.

The finals will be held on center court which can host 3,000 spectators with tickets being handed out to island locals.

The open will host 200+ players in 3 main categories. Elite for players 4.5 and above, Amateur for players below 4.5, and a separate tournament for the over 55’s. There will also be a separate tournament called NO LIMITS which will feature players with mental disabilities.

Matches will be streamed on YouTube.

Seems like this is going to be a fantastic event.

Thaddea plays APP Dallas and has another excellent run

Following on from playing APP Atlanta last week, Thaddea Lock, the UK women’s number 1 played in another APP tournament in Dallas this last weekend.

And once again Thaddea had a fantastic run in singles finishing 8th out of 26 women that took part. The competition was ultimately won by Megan Fudge with Salome Devidze claiming silver.

Thaddea lost her first match over 3 sets in the round of 32, 11-3, 4-11, 8-11 to Sharienne Ricardo before making an impressive run in the back draw beating Alia Brown 15-13, Amanda Studnicki 15-10 and getting a bye following a withdrawal before ultimately losing out to a super strong opponent in the form of Emily Ackerman 15-5. In the next round, Emily lost out to Judit Castillo 15-13 who in turn went on to claim the bronze.

The draw for the women’s and mixed doubles was not so kind for Thaddea.

Thaddea and her partner Rachel James won her round of 32 game against Eris Rivera and Danna Hamilton in 3 hard fought sets 9-11, 14-12, 18-16 before facing the formidable duo of Alix Truong and Vivian Glozman in the round of 16. They lost this matchup 11-2, 11-5 before entering the back draw only to lose out to Jessica Chernikova and Sarah Williams 15-11. Thaddea and Rachel ended the tournament 17th out of 26 teams.

Thaddea teamed up with Amrik Dinkena for the mixed doubles and they won their round of 32 game 15-10 vs. Sharienne Ricardo and James Seagraves before facing an incredibly difficult team in Roscoe Bellamy and Emily Ackerman.

Roscoe showed how good he was in APP Atlanta the week prior by winning his first medal (a silver) in men’s singles and Emily is already recognised as an established strong player on the tour. Thaddea lost out for a second time at the hands of Emily Ackerman (and her partner) 15-2.

This was always going to be a difficult matchup with Roscoe and Emily going on to take the mixed doubles silver medal. Thaddea and Amrik ended the tournament in 16th place out of 36 players. Not too shabby!

Congratulations Thaddea on some excellent results in Atlanta and Dallas. 👏

Pickleball in the press…again.

Pickleball featured in the UK mainstream press once again this week, This time in the Guardian.

The story covers the growth of the sport in Australia claiming that there are now an estimated 20,000 players down under but this number is expected to grow to 1 million players in 3 years! 😲

As is the case in the UK and around the world, the rapid growth of the sport is hindered by a shortage of courts in Australia as well, but with plenty of space to build outside and a climate that is favorable to outdoor play, this is something that can be overcome relatively easily given time. 2 luxuries we don’t have in the UK.

Courtside Chronicles: 8 Transformative Years in Pickleball with Elaine Shallcross!

In this episode of the Pickleball Addiction podcast, we talk with Elaine Shallcross who over the course of 8 years has seen a lot of change in pickleball.

We discuss:

• Where pickleball started for her

• Her experience as North West Regional Director for Pickleball England

• The tournaments that she has been involved in, all over the world

• What will it take for pickleball to get more funding to grow the game?

• Will pickleball ever become an Olympic sport?

• What makes a good pickleball festival

• How pickleball has changed lives

• and more

This is a really interesting discussion with a veteran of pickleball in the UK.

Enjoy!

Join the Pickleball Addiction Facebook group 😎

Coaching Corner

Court positioning basics

Court positioning is something that I became very aware of when I first started playing pickleball. Why do some people just stand at the back of the court whilst others make an effort to get to the non-volley zone? Why is their mixed strategies among teams leaving huge holes for the opposition to exploit?

When I tried to understand the strategy in more detail, it became clear to me quite quickly that many recreational players do not understand even the most basic principles of court positioning. And neither did I!

Ultimately, in doubles, we should be trying to get to the kitchen line. This is the court position that we should aspire to get to. It’s the most offensive position that makes things difficult for our opponents.

In today’s quick tutorial, however, we’re going to talk about improving your position during a point with two concepts I’m going to call “proximity pressure” and “defensive spacing”.

Proximity Pressure: The closer you are to the opponent hitting the ball, the more you limit their options. This proximity takes away their space, cuts off angles, and applies pressure, making it harder for them to execute a perfect shot.

When you or your partner hits a low, unattackable shot, it's your cue to move forward and close the gap with the opponent. Get up to that kitchen line!

Defensive Spacing: Conversely, when you're in a tight spot or on the defense, increasing your distance from the opponent allows you more time to react and better chances to return aggressive shots.

The strategy is to do the exact opposite when you're in trouble. For instance, if you pop up a ball, making it attackable, you and your partner should quickly step back to buy yourselves more reaction time. This extra space can be the difference between staying in the game and losing a point.

Understanding and implementing effective court positioning can dramatically elevate your pickleball game. It's about making calculated decisions on when to advance and apply pressure and when to retreat and defend.

For examples and more detail on these concepts, check out this video by John Cincola.

Paddle Spotlight

This cool-looking paddle is the new Diadem Edge 18K Pickleball Paddle.

The first thing you notice about this paddle is its striking design. And it looks even better in the flesh.

This design is achieved by laying out the matrix of carbon fibres in a three-dimensional structure with interlocking yarns at 60-degree angles instead of the one-dimensional weave most paddles go with.

Diadem claims that this isn't just for show; it's functional. Traditional paddles, with their uni-directional weave, miss out on optimizing spin and control at various contact angles. The 18K, however, promises superior performance, no matter how the ball hit’s the paddle face.

I managed to give this paddle a try at a recent festival and I can honestly say it feels great. I was able to control the ball well with both defensive and offensive shots and I did seem to be able to generate quite a bit of spin as claimed by Diadem.

The 18K is 16 millimeters thick, with a grip length of 5.3 inches and a circumference of around 4.25 inches. The star feature, of course, is the state-of-the-art 3D 18K carbon fiber face, a superior and more resilient upgrade from the traditional T700 carbon fiber.

Overall this is a great new paddle from Diadem. Arguably their best yet.

Use coupon NEWS10 for a 10% discount on your first purchase at the Pickleball Addiction Shop.

Upcoming Tournaments & Festivals

If you’d like to promote your event for free in the Pickleball Addiction newsletter. Just drop me an email at [email protected].

English Nationals
BOLTON
26th - 29th October
Register here

Chesterfield Festival
5th November
Register here

Hampshire England Pickleball Masters
Kingsley Tennis Centre
16th - 19th November
Register here

Wycombe DUPR Dash
High Wycombe
18th November
FULL!

Sherbourne 3.0-3.5 Fun Festival
DORSET
18th November
Register here

Hampshire Pickleball Festival
26th November
FULL!

Southampton Pickleball Festival
30th December 2023
Register here

Sussex Pickleball Event
Dicker
6th January 2024
Coming soon!

Guildford Gender Doubles Day
January 7th 2024
Register here

Hertfordshire Tournival
20th January 2024
Register here

Rallies in the Regis
Bognor Regis
21st January 2024
Register here

Southampton Pickleball Festival & Event
27th - 28th January 2024
Register here

Dinkin’ in the Midlands
WOLVERHAMPTON
3rd - 4th February 2024
Register here

The Stoehr Cup (Team Tournament)
WARE
24th - 25th February 2024
Registration Opens 1st December.
Email: [email protected]

Leigh Pickleball Festival
MANCHESTER
25th February 2024
Register here from 13/10/23

Hertfordshire Festival
9th March 2024
Save the date!

Dinkin’ in the Big Hall
22nd and 23rd June
Register here

Herts Mixed Doubles Tournament
Hertfordshire
21st-22nd September 2024
Save the date!

Scotland

Edinburgh Pickleball Festival
4th November 2023
FULL!

Scots/Welsh Interclub Event
25th November 2023
Donald Dewer Sports Centre
Contact Drumchapel Pickleball Club for details:
[email protected]

Glasgow West Pickleball Festival
23rd March 2024
Registration opens soon!

Around the World

MLP Challenger Level shuffles the pack

For this season only, Challenger Level teams are given the opportunity to change their player roster in a “Shuffle Draft” between each event! Brutal!

After MLP Atlanta here are the changes that the teams made.

• Round 1 Pick 1: LA Mad Drops select Allison Harris and drop Olivia McMillan

• Round 1 Pick 2: Florida Smash select Mariana Humberg and drop Dominique Schaefer

• Round 1 Pick 3: Milwaukee Mashers select Callan Dawson and drop Pesa Teoni

• Round 1 Pick 4: New York Hustlers select Kelsey Grambeau and drop Sarah Ansboury

• Round 1 Pick 5: California BLQK Bears select Erik Pailet and drop Marshall Brown

• Round 2 Pick 1: LA Mad Drops select Andreas Siljestrom and drop Jordan Kinney

• Round 2 Pick 2: Milwaukee Mashers select Riley Bohnert and drop Christa Gecheva

• The LA Mad Drops selected Cierra Gaytan-Leach as a sub for Brooke Buckner who is pregnant

The draft introduced 8 new players to the league:

• Allison Harris

• Mari Humberg

• Callan Dawson

• Kelsey Grambeau

• Erik Pailet

• Andreas Siljestrom

• Riley Bohnert

• Cierra Gaytan-Leach

Allison Harris was strongly expected to be the first pick having been given her chance to shine for the Miami Pickleballers last season when she replaced Mary Brascia who fell ill. Allison put in a fantastic performance and helped Miami make a strong playoff run.

Men’s double’s final at PPA Vegas a thriller

The PPA landed in Las Vegas at the weekend with both Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns claiming another triple crown each. Business as usual it would appear. But there were a couple of matchups that made things interesting.

Men’s Doubles

Without a doubt, the most thrilling match of the weekend was the men’s doubles. JW Johnson and Dylan Frazer beat Ben and Collin John’s 11-7 in their first game and strolled past them in the second game 11-3. JW Johnson and Dylan Frazier were on fire, seemingly getting every ball with a fair share of net cords much to Collin John’s obvious frustration.

The John’s brothers were clearly shaken. This match was not going to plan. Luckily for them, the final is played over 5 games.

In what turned out to be a match that lasted nearly 2 hours, the John’s brothers fought back to win the remaining 3 games 11-7, 11-8, 11-6. It was an epic final and a great watch with some incredible hand battles.

I recommend checking it out below.

Women’s Singles

Anna Leigh Waters also didn’t have it all her own way in the women’s singles. After comfortably outplaying Catherine Parenteau in the first game and winning 11-4, she went down in the second set 9-0, ultimately losing it 11-7. Anna Leigh was clearly frustrated and very animated during time-outs but she managed to reclaim her composure to take the third set 11-4.

Women’s Doubles

In the women’s doubles, it was relatively routine for Anna Leigh Waters and Catherine Parenteau even though they ended up losing the first game 11-7 to Lucy Kovalove and Callie Smith.

They went on to comfortably take the next 3 sets 11-6, 11-8, 11-5.

Men’s Singles

In the men’s singles, Ben John’s cruised to victory over the up-and-coming Aanik Lohani, 11-3, 11-7. Lohani had put in some impressive results over the course of the tournament, but Ben John’s was a step too far. He never looked in any trouble throughout the match-up.

Mixed Doubles

The mixed final match was won by Anna Leigh and Ben John’s automatically when James Ignatowich had to pull out because of a sprained ankle he picked up Saturday in the men’s quarterfinal.

Newsletter Feedback