Injuries plague Vegas - is there an underlying cause?

Poor court conditions contribute to injuries

The week at Vegas made it clear that there is a ticking time bomb for pro Pickleball.  Between a grueling, no-rest-for-the-weary schedule, less-than-ideal court conditions, and unequal court assignments that give favorable playing environments to certain players, player health becomes the forefront of concern. To generate revenue and meet demands of a growing organization hungry for media coverage, UPA is making it harder and harder for players to stay healthy.

Sunday came and went, and the matches were as exciting as the scoreboards indicated.  Lots of blowout victories for the favorites.  However, more notable than the (somewhat predictable) results were two on-court injuries.  During women’s doubles, Hurricane Tyra Black crashed into the video board and injured her knee, necessitating a medical timeout.  Luckily, she was able to return and finish the match.  Then, during the women’s singles finals, ALW sprained her ankle in a manner that would cause most to wince.  These injuries compounded an already injury- and accident-laden weekend: Quong Duong withdraw to Eric Roddy in the quarterfinals, Tyler crashed through the barriers going for an ATP, running into the video boards. There were several reports on the ground that amateurs faced similar issues on minor courts.

Las Vegas courts on the first day of competition:

Aside from the sub-par court conditions of the Acrytech base & roll system, and the tight court sizes we’ve seen in Vegas and other places like MLP at The Picklr, the schedule itself seems to be taking a toll.  During her post-victory interview against Jorja Johnson, Anna Leigh discussed injuries she has faced, saying “All the tournaments compounding, It’s just tough not to be injured now and then.”  If one of UPA’s youngest, most fit stars is having trouble keeping her body healthy during these laborious schedules, it has to be difficult for the entire field. We’ve seen a lot of withdrawals the last few tournaments: Tyson has missed several events, ALW had a late scratch in Bristol, and Christian Alshon has had to withdraw on a few occasions after having to rush back to the court after abdominal surgery earlier this year. Participation matters: the pressure to rush through a recovery is high, when points and seeding matter so much.

Quang Duong sounded off on his instagram about the grind of the schedule:

UPA is close to finalizing the 2025 schedule, and reports are that it will be another very busy year for the pros with very few breaks and no real defined off-season when you consider the combined schedule of PPA and MLP.

Players, both amateurs and pros, are the backbone of revenue-generation in this sport, and without sufficient recovery time built into the schedule, it’s only a matter of time before these minor injuries become more severe.

PB Weekly Round-up

Quick hits of what’s new and interesting in the pickleball space.

• Drew Brees (LA Mad Drops part-owner) announced he is hosting a celebrity pickleball tournament as part of the Del Mar Wine & Food Festival. Participants can play with a pro, a celebrity, or take part in a leveled bracket or rec play. Proceeds benefit Feeding San Diego and featured celebrities include tennis pros James Blake and CoCo Vandeweghe, former San Diego Padre Mark Loretta, along with Drew Brees.

• Donald Young, tennis player turned pickleball player, put his pickleball paddle down to jump back to tennis during the US Open (which started last week). He’s participating in the mixed doubles event alongside Taylor Townsend, and they are into the semifinals.

• Former MLP general counsel Janet Broeckel was arrested in the Hamptons today for a suspected DUI. She served as general counsel for six months in 2023.

• Tennis legend and Joola ambassador Andre Agassi, will be traveling to India in January to help debut Pickleball World Rankings (PWR)’s inaugural Indian Tour and League.

• ONIX Pickleball announced a new Supercell paddle using what they describe as “Cloud Control Technology,” designed for an extended sweet spot, and enhanced control and comfort.

APP Recap

The Windy City event sure lived up to its name, after rainy conditions canceled some amateur matches - but the show went on for pros.

Gold Medal winners:

• Women’s Singles - Megan Fudge

• Women’s Doubles - Bobbi Oshiro + Susannah Barr

• Men’s Singles - Christopher Haworth

• Men’s Doubles - CJ Klinger + Will Howells

• Mixed Doubles - Mari Humberg + Eric Oncins

Christopher Haworth has now won 5 men’s singles gold medals this year; we can’t wait to see how this translates to MLP with the Black Bears.

The APP’s next event is Oct 4-6 when they will host the APP Women’s Open in Columbus, OH. This will be “the first-ever pickleball event created exclusively for, and by, women.”

Next pod release is Wednesday, Sept. 4th, 10 a.m. MT (12 p.m. ET)