Bad Calls - Pickleball Podcast

Are we actually fixing singles pickleball… or making it worse?

This week on... Tennis Sucks? ...we dig into one of the most controversial ideas in pro pickleball right now: shrinking the singles court. Is it a smart way to slow the game down or just a band-aid for bigger equipment and rule issues?

We’re joined by pickleball stat wizard Eric Tice to break down:

- Why singles has become so serve-plus-one heavy
- Whether smaller courts help (or hurt) athleticism
- The real problem no one wants to address
- How these changes could impact the pro game long-term

Plus, we get into MLP 2026, including:

- Draft strategy and roster flexibility
- Whether Challenger should even exist anymore
- Why Sundays might finally become must-watch
- And how team pickleball keeps pulling fans in

Plenty of opinions. A few hot takes. And probably a couple bad calls.

👇 Drop your take in the comments — is singles broken, or are we overthinking it?

From leaked paddle deals and surprise signings to retirements, fines, and bold 2026 predictions, we break down everything shaking up the pro game. We talk Franklin’s big move, Nike rumors, who might leave the tour, why ball tech could be the next battleground, and what Major League Pickleball’s growth really means. Plus: live courtside chaos, bad predictions from the internet, and at least one take we already regret.

Contracts get torn up, players wake up banned, and the pickleball world spirals. On this episode of Bad Calls, the crew breaks down the UPA contract controversy stemming from the Asia trip fallout, why some players were terminated while others weren’t, and what it all says about power, money, and control in pro pickleball. From paddle patent lawsuits and counterfeit gear to Daytona results, rising Asian talent, and why the next five years of the sport may look nothing like today—this one covers everything, with exactly zero chill.

The guys break down MLP’s new partnership with Owl AI for automated line calling, recap all the chaos from the Lakeland PPA, including a parent delivering a wildly inappropriate threat, and dive into the biggest partnerships and rumors shaping 2026, from Rachel Rohrabacher joining forces with Catherine Parenteau to Nike whispers and Challenger Series shakeups. Plus: a pickleball Christmas movie, Crescent Lake grievances, and the usual Bad Calls speculation that somehow spirals into quarterback talk.

The Johnson brothers rolled into Crescent Lake without a text… and immediately got the full Monday-night reality check.

We also hit Worlds storylines, Chris Crouch’s breakout run, paddle-tech rumors (including the big one about Anna Leigh), wheelchair pickleball savants, and who’s really the best singles player in the world right now.

Another chaotic one.

Graham and Luke start things off by absolutely dominating on the tennis court before jumping into a Vegas recap, the Lifetime Open, and whatever else comes up while roasting Travis for a full hour.

There’s talk of crazy Uspensky hooks, minimum age drama, fines for contract breaches, and a little Anna Leigh vs Agassi debate that somehow turns into more strays for Travis.

Rising pro Jon Lucien pulls up to Bad Calls to talk back-to-back singles wins, why deception beats pace, and how a chess habit sharpens his reads. We argue Gen 1 vs Gen 4 paddles, recap the PPA Vintage Open with wood, and ask a simple question with a messy answer: who’s the best men’s doubles player right now?

We also get into Malaysia Cup fan energy, MLP vs PPA for growth, Buccee's road rituals, and why doubles takes longer to “solve.” Jon shares his partner plans, a perfect SAT flex, and the strategy he uses to ice opponent momentum.

The Kawamoto sisters snag gold in Cincinnati and prove that they were severely underrated! We get into why their patient style works and how parity is catching up to the big teams.

Paddles: the RPM is making noise, but UPA approval is still pending. We talk dwell time, pop, and why switching sticks mid-season can mess with your trajectory. Sacramento’s wooden-paddle event is next. After testing wood, we explain why points feel more strategic and why some spin-heavy players could struggle.

There’s plenty of pro gossip too. Will Hayden and Fed split? Are CJ and JW next? Ben teams with Alshon in Asia. Also yes, we test a grip-weight gadget on air and the name sends us off the rails. Enjoy.

We’re back at Crescent Lake and it finally isn’t raining. Travis breaks down a grueling PPA Challenger weekend, the certification chaos that has paddles swapping mid-event, and why half the new sticks are failing tests. We talk lab tour intel, the missing deflection machine saga, roll-out courts in Vegas, and whether random crowd noise should ever be a hindrance.

Graham floats a take that singles training should drop way down once you break through, and we kick around what that means for players chasing doubles partners and real paydays.

Hit the comments with two things: do you prefer indoor studio faces or Crescent Lake vibes, and do you want live court segments back next episode?

Andre Daescu just went full beast mode at MLP Finals in New York. He didn’t just win, he dominated. We’re talking flawless men’s play, carrying the Sliders, and even making Anna Leigh look human. So we had to ask… is Daescu officially the best men’s player in the world right now?

We break down the finals weekend, debate the Ben vs. Andre argument, talk about the wild DreamBreaker drama, and even dive into some spicy team roster rumors for next season. Plus, we share some behind the scenes stories from NYC and what’s coming next for MLP.