Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Hey Pickleballers. The Olympics is behind us, the fall is ahead of us, but pickleball is right here in front of us — as it always is, just the way we like it. 🥰 The U.S. Open is also upon us, but why were the biggest stars in tennis playing pickleball? Plus, we’ll take a look at a Cape Cod property that can’t sell because of pickleball noise, learn how to hit the perfect forehand drive, and a whole lot more.

Let’s go! 👇

Remember last month when we told you that the GOAT (Greatest of all Time) of tennis, Novak Djokovic, said that tennis was in danger because of pickleball in the United States and padel in Europe?

Well, he’s either not scared of pickleball anymore OR he thinks that if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

Why do we say this? Because Djokovic was playing pickleball in New York City along with current #1 tennis player in the world, Jannik Sinner, as part of an event leading up to this week’s U.S. Open.

Their teammates were fellow tennis player Barbora Krejčíková and professional pickleball player, Callie Smith.

While we can’t get into Djokovic’s head, it clearly looks like he’s having fun out there. Same thing goes for Carlos Alcaraz, currently ranked #3 in the world in tennis. (Just keep watching the video above, and you’ll see Alcaraz playing at yet another NYC pickleball event leading up to the U.S. Open.)

"It's a different sport definitely than tennis," said Sinner. "It was the first time for me. It was also a nice feeling to share the court with our tennis players. It's good to play doubles, two against two. It's nice to also communicate. It's a good sport."

So it certainly looks like tennis is extending an olive branch to the pickleball world. (Why else would its top three current players publicly play pickleball just days before the biggest American tennis tournament?)

But who knows, maybe it’s all part of a big Trojan Horse type scheme. 😂

Assuming it’s not a trick, then sure, we’re all about our two sports peacefully co-existing. Just make sure that some of those territorial tennis players at town parks get the memo.

Start a Pickleball Journal

This tip is for players who want to keep track of their goals and progress. Try keeping a journal. It could be a physical notepad or just an app on your phone, but use it to keep notes on your game. After playing, whether it’s practice or a match, write down how you did. Make notes about what you did well and what you need to improve on. If it’s a match, write down the outcome and the factors that led to it. Maybe your thirds were too high or you were missing too many returns and that was a big factor in your loss, or your drives were impeccable and that led you to a win.

Either way, logging notes right after you play it’s fresh in your mind will help you know what to work on and become a better player. This will also help you track your progress over time so that you can look back on your improvements!

Name three sports that showcase athletes’ reflexes like this. It’s OK, we’ll wait. 🥒 

Would You Talk to Your Ball?

Pickleball is a lot of fun. That’s why it’s been the fastest growing sport in America for years. But for some people, part of the fun is in the competition. And when you’re competing, you need every advantage you can get — even if that means talking to your ball. 😉

But seriously, whether you’re playing competitively or purely for fun, you want to experience our great game the right way. That means using the best ball out there, the Franklin X-40. Why? Because it’s the most balanced, consistent, and durable ball on the market — period. Get some for yourself, and use code “clinic15” at checkout for 15% off.

Pickleball’s greatest player of all time, Ben Johns, did a little Q + A with us…

The Pickleball Clinic: How do you prepare for matches?

Ben Johns: I prepare for matches with nutrition, hydration, sleep, and physical warmup. Meaning I eat good leading up to competition, make sure I’m hydrated before and day of, sleep well the days leading up to it, and get a good amount of physical movement and warmup before playing.

Be sure to follow Ben on Instagram and YouTube.

Trouble in Paradise

A couple in Sagamore Beach on Cape Cod in Massachusetts says they have been unable to sell their property for seven months despite lowering the price several times.

The culprit? Pickleball. A private club with pickleball courts borders the property, and the “pop, pop, pop” of the pickleballs is turning away potential buyers.

Noise pollution is of course nothing new to us picklers. Remember the wealthy San Francisco couple that shut down public pickleball courts so they could sell their house — even though it had a private pickleball court of its own! 😲

Yes, we know it’s one of pickleball’s few faults, but is the sound of a bouncing basketball or the crack of a softball much better? We suppose those sounds are a little less frequent, but just saying.

Anyway, it’s not as if our sport isn’t working on solutions. Sound barriers are often applied to the fences surrounding courts, and play is sometimes limited to certain times of the day.

More dramatically, there is a great deal of money being poured into technology — both for paddles and balls — for the sole purpose of reducing the noise in pickleball. But let’s see what you think…

If you’re unhappy with your paddle, then end the relationship and start trying some new ones. 😄 But don’t look at other paddles in front of your current paddle — that’s just not right.

A Day That’s Bittersweet

Labor Day is always bittersweet because it represents the end of summer. Actually, in that sense, it’s really just bitter. Well, unless you’re a big football fan or you’re excited about your senior year of high school / any year of college. 🎓

Anyway, there’s another big reason to be happy about Labor Day. And that is an amazing sale going on at Diadem, maker of the best pickleball shoe out there, the Court Burst. Starting tomorrow, August 29 and continuing until Labor Day, the entire Diadem catalog, including the Court Burst, is 25% off. Use code “clinic10” at checkout.

The forehand drive is becoming more and more important in pickleball. In fact, for the first time ever we’re seeing pros consistently drive more than they drop! But when and how should you hit it? Coach Matt explains below. 👇

Key Takeaways:

• Turn, use a closed stance, drop the paddle low and swing up.

• Rotate 90 degrees and follow through with the paddle over your shoulder.

• Hit the ball out in front of you at the peak of its bounce. This should be at about your waist and is called your “strike zone.”

• Only choose to drive balls in your strike zone and when you are on balance and able to step forward into the shot.

Thirty-two teams and more than 500 players are scheduled to compete in a Pickleball World Cup this October in Peru.

The United States will be one of the heavy favorites in the tournament, but with the sport growing globally every day, it’s not a forgone conclusion that America will emerge victorious. 🏆

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

Join the conversation below! ⬇️