The World Pickleball Podcast

Mikar Fisher is an English pro based in Hanoi, Cartivo Movers' top scorer, number two among the men and number four overall in the Philippines' professional league. Chris Beaumont catches up with him at nine o'clock at night in Manila to talk about the Pickle Yard Conference League (PYCL), now in its second season.

We start with the Dream Breaker: four chances, two or three points that really matter, and why Cartivo have been struggling in it — not breaking even at two-all, and in some matches losing all four.

Then how he arrived in the league. Mikar has had chances to sign elsewhere and held off, because without leverage "they're going to sign you for as cheap as they can get you." PYCL wanted to help him build that profile, and the league has drawn 10.5 million views since it has been on.

His story runs through tennis: his dad was his first coach, played Davis Cup and later coached Heather Watson; a US college scholarship; a high-performance tennis job; then a favour for a friend that became an obsession. He picked up a PPA bronze in Tucson, ended up drilling in Kansas with players including Jack Sock, sprang the plan on his wife, left his job and moved to Asia full time.

Why Vietnam? The week-in, week-out level is very high — tennis, ping pong and badminton players mixed in, not just a tennis-based field — and the cost of living is lower. Why not the US circuit? Pay $1,500 for a flight, maybe do less well, and even if you do well you can take home less prize money than if you stay closer to home.

On PYCL: Cartivo are the youngest team in the league, with most of the drafted players still in school. They started well, then got complacent, and he talks about managing energy with a group doing this for the first time. Cameras, a huge live audience, playing for Team England ("having Megan on the team was huge"), a Welsh dad and a Filipino mum, coming back to her home and meeting family he had never met, and a career that, a couple of years ago, he would have told you to jog on.

PYCL Season 2 runs to the final on 27 November.

Chapters:

00:00 Cold open: what's going wrong in the Dream Breaker

01:11 Welcome: PYCL and Mikar Fisher

03:13 How he ended up in the PYCL

05:06 Building leverage, and 10.5 million views

06:57 Pro pickleball in Vietnam

08:21 Why pickleball is easier to break into than tennis

08:58 Growing up: dad the tennis coach

11:06 College tennis in the States

13:18 A high-performance tennis job

14:42 First hit of pickleball

15:22 Getting obsessed, then the country club

16:29 Mike Wolf, Jack Sock and drilling in Kansas

18:57 Leaving the job and moving to Asia

20:11 First weeks in Vietnam

21:49 Does the money work?

23:24 The Asian paddle market

26:28 Why Vietnam: high level, week-in week-out

28:21 Two roads: star at home, or try the US

30:53 How the game is growing

32:34 Ten million people watching the league

33:20 Playing in front of the cameras

34:14 Cartivo: the youngest team in the league

36:37 Managing energy when a young team wobbles

38:52 Raw talent and flair in the Philippines

40:44 Coaching a sport that is still this new

42:04 How the best train: short, hard intervals

43:19 Desire, and kids you cannot bully with strength

45:28 Team England and a shout-out to Megan

47:20 Welsh dad, Filipino mum

48:48 "I would have told you to jog on"

49:21 What's next for Cartivo

50:35 The playoff picture

52:06 Wrap-up

Guest: Mikar Fisher

Host: Chris Beaumont

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Crystal Mildwaters went first overall in the PYCL draft, and the Cebuana Lhuillier Gems' captain is now the league's No.1 ranked player. Chris Beaumont catches up with her at 10pm in Manila to talk about the Pickle Yard Conference League (PYCL), the professional league in the Philippines now in its second season.

We start with draft night: a gala where they booked out an entire cinema, why going No.1 felt like fate given her family's roots in Cebu, and the Australian connection with Aaron Johnson.

Then the game itself: the Gems' Dream Breaker plan, why Filipino courts play faster and the 48-hole ball sits up, how the dinking differs from Australia, and the teams to watch, including Mikar Fisher and the Cartivo Movers.

Crystal explains life as a PYCL ambassador, a league week, game day with the Gems fans, and how 300 people in the stands turned into 11 million live-stream views in two weeks.

And her story: the tennis years, the switch to pickleball, going from last female pick in Queensland to first overall in a year, and captaining the Opals to the 2026 NPL title after being down in the final and going into "war mode".

Finally: how Filipino fans pick a team, the Vietnam comparison, being recognised by her dentist, and courts full until 3am.

PYCL Season 2 runs to the final on 27 November, broadcast on GMA with SPOTV online.

Chapters:

00:00 Cold open: the No.1 pick felt like fate

00:55 Welcome: PYCL and Crystal Mildwaters

02:42 PYCL draft night: the gala

04:11 Aaron Johnson and the Australian connection

05:00 Dream Breaker strategy

06:16 Helping the Filipino game grow

07:39 Philippines v Australia: faster courts, 48-hole ball, dinking

09:48 Teams to watch: Mikar Fisher and Cartivo

10:45 What the Gems need to win it

11:56 Life as a PYCL ambassador

13:39 Filipino roots

14:51 Game day and the Gems fans

16:57 A PYCL league week

18:16 The tennis years

21:20 From tennis to pickleball: last pick to first pick

23:56 Quickfire: left or right, one Filipino to watch

25:06 Most memorable match: the NPL final

26:35 If not the Gems, who?

27:38 How Filipino fans pick a team

29:07 Team fandom and the Vietnam comparison

30:24 Recognised by the dentist and pickleball all night

31:36 Wrap-up

Guest: Crystal Mildwaters

Host: Chris Beaumont

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JW Johnson is the new world No.1 on DUPR — so is Ben Johns actually coming off the boil? Chris Beaumont is joined by Gordon Watson to unpick the biggest talking point in pickleball.

Gordo was at the English Nationals at Bolton Arena, so we go through the results. Barbara Capper and Sharon Tinsley took the 50+ women's doubles title on the Friday, with Amanda Evans and Julie Mac second and Rochelle Penrose and Anna Linton third, and Richard Love finishing just outside the medals in the 50+ men's. On the Saturday, James Chaudry and James Ling beat Ben Cawston and Louis Laville in the men's open final, and Katie Morris and Molly O'Donoghue won the women's open over Evie Kenna and Ellie Tomkinson. On the Sunday, Ellie Tomkinson and James Ling took the mixed open, beating Molly O'Donoghue and Louis Laville, with Katie Morris and James Lofthouse taking bronze.

Gordo also explains why the Franklin ball nobody was expecting became the story of the weekend, what Louis Laville said after the men's final, and how quickly Pickleball England responded.

Then: ITV picking pickleball up in the build-up to the Nationals, and why more exposure doesn't automatically mean more money for governing bodies that are running on zero funding.

And the big one. JW Johnson now holds the highest DUPR rating in the world. Is that a changing of the guard, or is the "Ben Johns is sinking" narrative premature? We talk Hayden Patriquin ("arguably the most insane pickleball talent in the world"), Christian Alshon and Gabe Tardio knocking on the door, the Jack Sock partnership, the Australian cricket team comparison, and whether any player would trade weeks at No.1 for major titles.

Plus the first World Pickleball Magazine Heat Check rankings: a combined men's and women's top 10, with Anna Leigh Waters five points clear of Anna Bright, Ben Johns third and Hayden Patriquin fourth — and how the model is built from pickle stats rankings, results rating, win percentage over the last 20 matches, MLP form and the fantasy league model.

We also cover the Nations Cup (the US won it again, and Anna Bright had a moment she won't want to watch back), whether a Great Britain team would be England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland under Olympic rules, and the LIV Golf comparison for players moving between tours.

Finally, what's next: Rome on Wednesday night, Austria on the 22nd, MLP Australia and MLP Asia the weekend after next, and a rumour about a very big global announcement coming this week.

Chapters:

00:00 A podcast studio in the back of a van

00:31 Nations Cup: the US win again

01:27 Anna Bright and an unusual first game

03:46 How Latin America swept Australia

04:21 Is the Nations Cup a trial for the World Cup?

09:24 English Nationals results

10:11 Women's doubles 50+: Capper and Tinsley take gold

12:01 The Franklin ball nobody expected

12:31 Louis Laville's interview and Pickleball England's response

16:01 Ellie Tomkinson and the future of mixed doubles

16:44 ITV, exposure and the funding problem

18:46 DUPR seeding at the English Open

19:30 JW Johnson is world No.1

20:32 Hayden Patriquin: the most insane talent

21:02 How the Heat Check rankings work

22:05 The first Heat Check top 10

22:47 Would you trade No.1 for a major?

24:14 JW's MLP season and the Danni-Elle Townsend reel

25:14 The "Ben Johns is sinking" narrative

26:29 "Are you calling Jack Sock the team?"

28:35 Ben Johns, Anna Leigh Waters and unreal expectations

30:11 The mixed doubles question at the Worlds

32:11 Gordon's pickleball week in Rockhampton

33:22 Chris's week: Rome, Austria, MLP Australia and Asia

34:44 Sign-off

Guest: Gordon Watson

Host: Chris Beaumont

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Pickleball politics, and why it matters every time you hit a ball. Chris Beaumont welcomes back Leon Stango, founder of Pickleball Venezuela, after the news that Venezuela's sports ministry has voted to accept pickleball as a legal sport, five years after he bounced the first ball in Caracas.

Leon explains how the sport grew to around 300 courts in 14-15 states, why recognition had to come internationally first, and the 59-page application to the sports ministry. Then the bigger picture: the ego, social media attacks and politics pioneers face; the WPF and GPF unification that still hasn't happened; why the Olympic pathway needs one world federation ("pickleball is like a divorced couple"); a possible third organisation; pro vs grassroots; who controls paddle regulations; and getting money back down to the grassroots.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Pickleball politics: welcome back Leon Stanga

01:40 Big news: pickleball recognised as a legal sport in Venezuela

02:45 From the first ball in Caracas to ~300 courts

03:47 Getting recognised internationally first

04:39 The 59-page book to the sports ministry

06:05 From interim body to federation

07:04 The race to recognition & the B side

08:08 Pioneers, ego, social media & backstabbing

10:53 A Brit building the sport in South America

12:15 Two world governing bodies & the unification promise

13:50 "Like a divorced couple": the Colombia team example

17:14 Why there has to be one world federation

19:02 The third organisation & the FIFA comparison

21:10 Is the Olympics the North Star?

22:53 Pro vs grassroots: the boxing model

25:07 Legal sports, but no legal World Federation

26:59 Every sport goes through this

28:46 The sticking point: bylaws & unification

31:14 All continental heads want unification

33:31 Who controls paddle regulations?

35:02 Money trickling down to grassroots

36:14 Leon drops out & wrap-up

Guest: Leon Stango, Founder, Pickleball Venezuela; President of the PFA (Americas); GPF director

Host: Chris Beaumont

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English Nationals 2026 pickleball preview. Chris Beaumont is joined by Nick Hobbis, commentator at this year's English Nationals, to go through every Open and 50+ Senior Open doubles draw for Pickleball England's national championships at Bolton Arena, picking the seeds, the dark horses and the winners.

In this episode:

- Mixed Doubles 50+: can Anna Linton & Richard Love go back to back, or do Claire Bourgoin & Ian Marshall stop them?

- Men's Doubles 50+: David Youngs comes out of retirement again. Nick backs Nathan Hill & Ian Marshall.

- Women's Doubles 50+: Amanda Evans & Julie Mac top seeds, plus Jasbir Tutt & Kirsty Gray.

- Men's Doubles Open: Ben Cawston & Louis Laville lead the way, and Nick offers Chris 16-1 on James Lofthouse & Joshua Bright.

- Women's Doubles Open: Katie Morris & Molly O'Donoghue top seeds, and a call for 4.5 players to step up.

- Mixed Doubles Open: the stacked Sunday. Morris & Cawston or O'Donoghue & Laville?

- 1,400+ players: is Bolton Arena big enough, and is it time for qualifying?

THE SCHEDULE

Thursday: Mixed Doubles 50+ Senior Open

Friday: Men's & Women's 50+ Senior Open

Saturday: Men's & Women's Doubles Open

Sunday: Mixed Doubles Open

Guest: Nick Hobbis, Commentator, English Nationals 2026

Host: Chris Beaumont

The World Pickleball Podcast, from World Pickleball Magazine. Subscribe and tell your friends.

Bamboo or carbon? Chris Beaumont talks to Ben Tinkler-Davies, founder of Kinova, an engineer from London now living in Brooklyn who designed the world's first bamboo cricket bat at university and has brought natural materials into pickleball.

We get into the Swift's bamboo-face, cork-core sandwich construction; bench testing with Loughborough University; what's behind the 7% more power and 4% less variation figures (coefficient of restitution across the sweet spot, and less change across the face and over the paddle's life); the 60-70 design iterations; the Founders Series, the first 100 Swifts individually numbered 1 to 100; Kinova's Pledge 1% commitment and why the Swift is named after the endangered swift parrot; certification plans for the next paddle; and how natural-material paddles can be sent back, reworked and reused.

The non-numbered Swift is around £67 (roughly $80).

CHAPTERS

00:00 Bamboo or carbon? Welcome Ben Tinkler-Davies

01:06 From London to Brooklyn: Ben's background

02:05 The world's first bamboo cricket bat

04:36 Cricket, willow costs & laminated bats

06:58 Why Kinova entered the paddle market

09:22 The tech: bamboo face, cork core

11:06 Feel vs science & testing at Loughborough

15:33 7% more power, 4% less variation explained

18:32 60-70 iterations to the Swift & the next paddle

20:31 Who's tested it & the certification question

25:54 The Founders Series: numbered 1 to 100

27:09 Pledge 1% & the Swift Parrot

28:50 Paddle waste, recycling & trade-ins

33:49 Where to find Kinova & Swift pricing

35:08 Wrap-up

Guest: Ben Tinkler-Davies, Founder, Kinova (@kinovasports)

Host: Chris Beaumont

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Chris Beaumont and Gordon Watson are back to catch up on three huge months of pickleball: the Pickleball World Cup, the English Open, PPA Australia and PPA Europe, the Rome Open and plenty more.

Hosts: Chris Beaumont & Gordon Watson (@gordonjameswatson)

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Bruno Faletto joins Chris Beaumont on the World Pickleball Podcast to explain how he went from one of Chile’s leading junior tennis players to a corporate career in New York, before leaving the security of full-time employment for another attempt at professional sport.

Faletto was Chile’s No. 1 player in his age group and reached No. 8 in South America before a serious back injury interrupted his route towards professional tennis. He recovered to earn an ATP ranking, moved to the United States on a college scholarship and became a four-time NCAA Division II All-American at Saint Leo University.

After graduation, Faletto stopped competing and built a successful sales career in Manhattan. Pickleball was initially supposed to fill the sporting gap. It gradually became something he could no longer treat as a hobby.

In this episode, Faletto discusses:

• The back injury that changed his tennis career

• The financial reality of playing lower-level professional tennis

• Why he walked away from tennis while playing some of his best matches

• Discovering pickleball in New York in 2022

• Learning that power alone would not make him a professional player

• Combining APP tournaments and moneyball events with a full-time sales job

• Building a coaching business before leaving corporate employment

• How five or six hours on court each day changed his consistency and confidence

• Earning a PPA contract after his breakthrough 2026 season

• His technical weaknesses and the jump from Challenger events to established PPA opposition

• Representing the Grand River Rapids in the CNPL

• His ambition to represent Chile in international pickleball

• Preparing for fatherhood while building a professional sporting career

Faletto also explains the mental change that told him he was ready for the next level. Previously, at 9-9 in a deciding game, he found himself hoping the opponent would miss. Now he believes he will win the point himself.

Listen to the complete Bruno Faletto interview on the World Pickleball Podcast, hosted by World Pickleball Magazine’s Chris Beaumont.

A fuller Players’ Voice feature with Bruno Faletto will appear in the September edition of WPM.

What does it really take to earn a living as a professional pickleball player?

Chris Beaumont is joined by Shane Dunn, founder and CEO of Peak Pickleball Agency, to examine the business behind the professional game.

Dunn explains how paddle contracts, tour agreements, sponsorships and appearance opportunities fit together, why prize money tells only part of the story, and how players outside the world’s leading names can build sustainable careers.

They also discuss what brands are looking for, why personality and storytelling matter alongside results, how local coaches and facilities influence recreational players, and Peak’s expansion beyond traditional athlete representation.

With professional pickleball creating talented players faster than it is creating commercial security, this is a revealing look at who can make a living from the sport, how they do it and what still needs to change.

You can spend hundreds on a paddle and hours working on technique. None of it helps much if the paddle starts moving in your hand.

In this episode of the World Pickleball Podcast, Chris Beaumont is joined by Rob McEvoy, CEO of Thailand-based sports technology company Sahara Dry, to look at one of the less discussed performance problems in pickleball: sweat, grip and what actually happens between your hand and the paddle.

Sahara Dry takes a different approach from traditional chalk and magnesium-based grip products. Rather than absorbing moisture, McEvoy explains how its modified silica technology is designed to repel it, allowing sweat to bead and move away from the hand.

The conversation goes well beyond the product. McEvoy grew up in Rossendale in North West England, worked around professional rugby with Sale Sharks, Cornish Pirates and London Welsh, then moved to Thailand, where a university scientist who had spent more than a decade working with the material approached him about turning the technology into a consumer product.

They discuss why pole dancing unexpectedly became crucial to Sahara Dry's early development, what gymnastics and shooting taught the company about grip, why Thailand provides an ideal testing ground for sweat management, and why pickleball, particularly the huge recreational market in the United States, has become an important target.

Topics include:

• Why sweat changes paddle control
• Absorbing moisture versus repelling it
• The science behind Sahara Dry
• How long grip products need to last
• Testing sports technology in Thailand
• What pole dancing taught Sahara Dry about grip
• Moving technology between different sports
• Why pickleball has become an important market
• The challenge of getting players to try an unfamiliar product
• Building a sports technology company from Thailand

A conversation about something most players notice only when it starts going wrong: the connection between hand, grip and paddle.