Hey pickleball fans, Ace here. While everyone’s been obsessing over the MLP draft drama (and rightfully so—$1.23M for Anna Bright is insane), some other significant developments have been unfolding in the professional pickleball world. The APP Tour is making moves, former pros are pivoting to business, and we’ve got some actual data on injuries that might make you rethink your gear choices.
Let’s dig into what happened this week beyond the MLP circus.
The February 15th Major League Pickleball (MLP) keeper deadline delivered massive shocks as superstars Jorja Johnson (Dallas Flash) and Anna Bright (St. Louis Shock) were officially dropped to free agency. While these moves appear risky, they are calculated financial gambles to avoid massive keeper fees—which can exceed $300,000—in hopes of re-drafting the players at a lower market price. With 66 roster spots to fill, the February 27th free agency draft is now a high-stakes bidding war that could see prices for top women surpass $500,000, fundamentally shifting the league’s power balance.
If you thought last week was dramatic with Andre Agassi’s World Series announcement, hold onto your paddles—because the MLP keeper deadline just delivered some genuine shockers that have the entire professional pickleball community buzzing.
On Sunday, February 15th at 4pm ET, all 20 Major League Pickleball teams submitted their keeper lists for 2026. The announcements dropped Monday, and let me tell you: some of these decisions are absolutely wild. Let’s break down what happened, why it matters, and what it means for the February 27th free agency draft.
Anna Leigh Waters’ signature Franklin Aurelius paddle officially received UPA-A certification on February 6, 2026, fast-tracking its debut for the PPA Cape Coral Open. While Waters will compete with the highly aggressive 12.7mm model, the paddle is available for pre-order in three core thicknesses (12.7mm, 14mm, 16mm) and ships starting March 1, 2026. This certification marks a major shift in the paddle market, as Franklin cements its new flagship partnership following the departure of JW and Jorja Johnson.
In case you missed it while scrolling through your feed yesterday, there was a small but significant announcement in the professional pickleball world: Anna Leigh Waters’ signature Franklin paddle, the Aurelius, received UPA-A certification on Friday, February 6th. For most recreational players, this might seem like inside baseball. But if you care about where professional pickleball is heading—or if you’re one of the thousands already eyeing this paddle for yourself—this approval is a bigger deal than it first appears.
Let’s break down what just happened, why it matters, and what it tells us about the current state of paddle technology and player equipment deals.
It’s been a whirlwind week in the professional pickleball world, and if you blinked, you might have missed some major league restructuring announcements. Major League Pickleball just dropped a bombshell about their 2026 format, Brooklyn is launching what could be a game-changing youth initiative, and we’re less than two weeks away from the PPA Cape Coral Open. Let’s break it all down.
It was one of the most eventful—and frankly, brutal—weeks on the PPA Tour so far this year. The Indoor National Championships at Life Time Lakeville, Minnesota just wrapped up, and while the action inside was blazing, the conditions outside were absolutely arctic. We’re talking temperatures hitting -20°F, with daily highs struggling to break single digits all week.
But here’s the thing about professional pickleball in 2026: the show goes on, the young players keep getting better, and sometimes the storylines off the court matter just as much as what happens during matches. Let’s break down what just happened in Minnesota.
Let’s talk about something that just launched this week and has the entire racket sports community buzzing—a new sport called Typti.
Yes, you read that right. In a world where we already have tennis, pickleball, padel, platform tennis, racquetball, squash, and badminton, someone decided we needed one more racket sport. And that someone is Tennis Channel founder Steve Bellamy, backed by an 80-person investor group including Drew Brees, Nick Kyrgios, Tony Robbins, Chris Pine, JJ Abrams, Tiffany Haddish, and comedian Bert Kreischer.
The pitch? Typti is a cross between tennis and pickleball, played on a pickleball court with foam balls and small tennis-like rackets. Think mini-tennis meets trick-shot YouTube video. Let me break down what we know, why I’m skeptical, and why I’m also kind of excited about it.
Hey pickleballers, Ace here, coming at you fresh off Championship Sunday at the PPA Masters in Palm Springs. What a way to kick off the 2026 professional season—we got breakthrough wins, dominant performances, historic milestones, and some serious storylines that’ll shape the rest of the year. Plus, USA Pickleball just dropped a game-changing equipment testing program, MLP unveiled their 2026 rule changes, and the US Open lottery is officially underway. Let’s get into it.
What’s happening, pickleball fans? Ace here, coming to you in the second full week of January with some absolutely massive news from the past several days. If you’ve been paying attention to the pro scene, you know that this week brought us what might be the biggest equipment sponsorship deal in pickleball history, some serious contract enforcement drama that has the entire community talking, a major announcement from Major League Pickleball about their season finale, and the annual rule changes that just went into effect. Let’s break it all down.
Happy New Year, pickleball fam! Ace here, writing to you from a gorgeous January week in Austin where the courts have been absolutely packed with people working off their holiday cookie guilt. There’s something special about the first week of a new year in pickleball—fresh goals, new gear under the tree, and that optimistic feeling that this will be the year you finally master the two-handed backhand. For the pros, 2026 officially kicked off this week with the PPA Masters in Palm Springs, and for the entire pickleball community, we’re confronting a serious problem that’s been growing in the shadows: counterfeit paddles. Let’s dive in.
Happy holidays, pickleballers! Ace here, coming at you between Christmas and New Year’s with some major developments that are shaping what 2026 is going to look like for professional pickleball. While most of us are enjoying time off, eating too many cookies, and getting court time in when we can, the business side of pro pickleball just went through a seismic shift that’s going to impact how the sport operates for years to come. Let’s break it down.