Welcome back to The Pickleball Clinic Newsletter!

Have you ever left the pickleball courts because you don't have a fourth player? Today, we'll reveal how 2-on-1 pickleball can actually be a good thing, discover which continent will be getting a new professional tour, learn how to power up your serve, and much more.

Let’s do this! 👇

We all know how pickleball's popularity skyrocketed in America. And many of you may know that it is currently taking off in Asian countries, including Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, China, and India.

So you might think that America's PPA Tour (one of our top professional pickleball tours, and the one with the highest-ranked players) would look to expand to Asia. And if you thought that, you'd be right, as it launched PPA Tour Asia in 2025.

Plus, back in 2024, the PPA Tour created PPA Tour Australia to attract the top players from Down Under. And earlier this year, it started PPA Canada for players north of the border.

But the PPA Tour just set its sights on another continent when it recently announced that it would be launching the PPA Tour Europe.

This new professional pickleball tour will feature 20 events played in nine European countries throughout 2026 and 2027, and it will culminate with the PPA Finals Europe in May 2027.

For its first season, PPA Tour Europe will offer a total purse of 545,000 Euros. Matches are already planned in Spain, Slovenia, Portugal, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Italy, but it’s expected that more events will be scheduled in other countries as well.

The PPA Tour Europe is designed for top-level European pickleball players to be able to have regular opportunities to compete at the professional level and to earn ranking points and prize money without having to leave their home continent.

Take a Step Back Against Big Serves

If you’re playing against someone with a hard, deep serve, take a few steps back to give yourself more time to return it. A lot of players return from just behind the baseline, which can make it difficult to handle a fast, deep serve. Many of the return errors I see come from players standing too close to the line and trying to short-hop a hard serve. I find that taking a few steps back gives me more time and allows me to hit a much higher-quality return.

The downside is that you’ll have farther to run to get up to the kitchen, but a better return will make their third shot much more difficult. Plus, if you can hit your return deeper than you normally would, the ball will stay in the air longer, giving you a little more time to get established at the net.

The atmosphere at last weekend’s MLP Finals in New York City’s Central Park was electric! 👇

When you play on an excellent pickleball court, the result is… you don’t notice it. 😀 Sure, players will probably notice how nice the facility is, but they won’t be thinking about the court, which is exactly how it should be! Instead, players will be focusing on their games and enjoying our amazing sport. But there is so much that goes into constructing an excellent court—and if you miss any of the many steps that go into that construction, then trust us, people will be noticing because those mistakes will stick out like a sore thumb.

That’s why you need to leave it to the pros. Court Kings is the one-stop shop for pickleball court construction because they handle everything from site prep and concrete work to surfacing, nets, fencing, and consultation. Court Kings installs both acrylic and cushioned court systems, and they help clients choose the right surface and color combination based on their goals, usage, and budget. To learn more, contact [email protected].

Welcome back to Ask Away, where we answer a commonly asked pickleball question. If you would like us to answer one of your questions, simply respond to this email and ask away!

Question: “If I’m up at the kitchen line and the ball hits my hand and goes over the net, is that allowed?”

Answer: Yes, that is considered legal. As long as the ball hits your hand below the wrist (of the hand you are holding the paddle with) and you are holding the paddle on impact, then it is in play and the point would continue.

Picture this: you set up an amazing game with yourself and three of the best pickleball players you know. You even did some more drilling than usual just to get ready for it. And then you get the call in the parking lot that one of them can’t make it.

We’ve all been there. But what you do next? Quickly call other people to see if they can make it? Or just cancel the game entirely since you can’t play with just three people?

Well, not so fast. You can enjoy pickleball with three people. In some ways, it can be just as much fun—and it can provide a powerful learning experience. Here’s why…

First off, you will pretty quickly realize that when you play with two people against one, it is actually easier to be the single player—provided, of course, that the team of two can only hit it to one half of the court.

As the single player, you should try to capture the feeling of calm because you know that you are only responsible for one half of the court. All of your opponents’ shots have to come back to you, so when you’re serving, you should feel like you can take your time getting up to the kitchen.

When you are returning, make sure to return and run, and again, you should take comfort in knowing that your opponents can’t really hit it by you. You just need to be a brick wall up there. Try to keep them back with your volleys and make them earn their way up to the kitchen with a great drop.

Moving to the team of two players, it probably won’t feel as calm because you have to be extra accurate with your shots by hitting them to only one side of the court.

When you are the team of two, you should also realize that you cannot easily hit the ball past your opponent. That means you can’t just be a banger because a good player will keep volleying those drives back down at your feet.

Instead, you need to use your drops so you can work your way up to the kitchen. Then you can try to earn a pop-up with aggressive dinking or a good speed-up. A few more things…

1. ATPs count. So if the single player pulls a doubles player out wide, that person can hit an ATP down the line to win the point. 2. If you don’t actually want to play matches, you can also drill effectively in this format. 3. If the team of two is struggling to keep their shots to only one side of the court, you can extend the middle line a bit with a piece of tape or some cones. 👍

To play another game, or not to play another game. That is the question. 😂

Do you know what RPM stands for? Other than a paddle company, it stands for Revolutions Per Minute, or in other words, how quickly something spins. That’s actually how the paddle company got its name—because it specializes in creating spin on a pickleball. And if you know pickleball, you know that spin is a major part of it. Primarily topspin so your drives, dinks, and drops can dive down at your opponents’ feet.

Well, the RPM paddle is the “spiniest” paddle out there. Period. In fact, it creates so much spin that it doesn’t feel like it should be legal. But it is! The RPM Friction Pro V2 utilizes new technology to improve upon the original RPM Friction Pro. And for those who want a full-foam paddle, there's the RPM Q2, which balances controlled aggression, accessible power, and long-term durability. Grab your RPM paddle today, and use code (clinic15) for 15% off.

One of the most important shots in all of pickleball—yet one that often gets overlooked—is the serve. Yup, a big serve can do so much for your game because not only does it make your opponents have to take more time to get up to the kitchen, but it also usually results in a shorter return, which allows you or your partner to get an easier 3rd shot. Good thing one of pickleball's great players and personalities, Zane Navratil, stopped by to chat with coach Matt about how to hit a big serve. Check it out below. 👇

One advantage of team sports is that you’re not out there alone. You have someone else with you to either pump you up or calm you down. Sports without teams, like singles tennis, don’t have that luxury, which makes meltdowns a bit more common. While names like John McEnroe or Nick Kyrgios may come to mind, let’s not forget about another colorful character, Daniil Medvedev.

Despite being a former #1 ranked player in the world, Medvedev has been struggling with his game of late, which has not made him all that happy on court. During a changeover in one of his recent matches, he said, “Maybe I should start a career in pickleball. Not too late. Doubles…with Jack Sock.” Turning to the chair umpire, he continued, “Every sport on this planet is better, man. Even curling right now.” In one sense, it was kind of an insult to pickleball, but on the other hand, it seems like he was just considering it as an alternative to tennis.

Hope you enjoyed the read. See you next week!

- Your Friends at The Pickleball Clinic

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