Front Cover Stories

From headline-making pros and game-changing innovations to the cultural moments defining pickleball’s rise.

Our front cover stories celebrate the people making the greatest impact on pickleball today. Whether profiling world-class athletes, industry pioneers, entrepreneurs, coaches, or innovators, each feature offers an in-depth look at the stories influencing the sport’s continued growth.

Hercilio Cabieses on Building the World Cup

READERS’ FAVORITE

From Peru to the World Stage

If pickleball is to reach the Olympic stage one day, Hercilio Cabieses wants to help build the international foundation that gets it there. The Peruvian professional pickleball player has become a driving force behind the sport’s international growth, and played a pivotal role in creating the Pickleball World Cup…

John Gullo

Cover Story

Before pro pickleball became a business, John Gullo was building its foundation

Oct 28, 2026 · 16 min read

Estée Widdershoven

Cover Story

Estée Widdershoven walked away from one dream, only to find another

Oct 21, 2026 · 14 min read

CityPickle founders Erica Desai and Mary Cannon

Cover Story

Erica Desai and Mary Cannon turned their passion for pickleball into CityPickle

Oct 14, 2026 · 9 min read

Melissa McCurley smiling in a black APP polo shirt

Cover Story

Melissa McCurley has spent more than a decade helping pickleball grow through technology, competition and leadership

Oct 7, 2026 · 17 min read

Joshua Flores

Cover Story

How a small-town theater kid from Ohio survived two major surgeries to emcee for pro pickleball…

Sept 23, 2026 · 17 min read

Chris Cantino Mad Drops

Cover Story

Chris Cantino is bringing a builder’s mindset to MLP Mad Drops and helping shape pickleball’s…

Sept 16, 2026 · 16 min read

Team USA Takes Gold in Da Nang

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Team USA captured the Open Team title as the World Cup brought nearly 5,000 athletes from 82…

Sept 9, 2026 · 9 min read

Third Time is the Charm

Cover Story

For two years, the New Jersey Fives had reached the final stage of the Major League Pickleball season…

Sept 2, 2026 · 13 min read

Building the World Cup

Cover Story

If pickleball is to reach the Olympic stage one day, Hercilio Cabieses wants to help build the…

Aug 26, 2026 · 16 min read

Hunter Johnson

Cover Story

Most rallies in professional pickleball start and end the same way. All two or four players…

Aug 19, 2026 · 16 min read

Ray Colaiacovo

Cover Story

Emmy Award-winning producer Ray Colaiacovo reflects on bringing pickleball to national TV…

Aug 12, 2026 · 16 min read

Connor Garnett

Cover Story

In a sport often defined by raw emotion and frantic pace, Connor Garnett operates like a…

Aug 5, 2026 · 17 min read

The Story Behind The Dink

Cover Story

For the millions of people who now call themselves pickleball players around the world, the journey…

July 22, 2026 · 13 min read

Carl Foster

Cover Story

Carl Foster has spent his entire career getting to new things first. He was a 19-year-old Air Force…

July 15, 2026 · 17 min read

Kyle Yates

Cover Story

Kyle Yates was one of the most dominant men’s pickleball players from 2014 to 2018 and in…

July 8, 2026 · 10 min read

Building the Courts

Cover Story

Ashley and Tim were recipients of one of the 2026 DUPR Golden Pickle Business Awards for…

July 1, 2026 · 11 min read

Tito Machado on DUPR

Cover Story

What’s your DUPR? That has become the opening line for many pickleball players today…

June 24, 2026 · 9 min read

The Soul of the Court

Cover Story

What began as a mascot for the Pickle Pro Tour has evolved into one of the most beloved…

June 17, 2026 · 13 min read

Pickleball World Cup

Cover Story

The Cup is heading to Vietnam and Da Nang is preparing for Asia’s biggest pickleball event yet…

June 10, 2026 · 8 min read

Brad Robins Kitchen Blockers

Cover Story

An entrepreneur who has gone from launching a new product to building a movement about your sight…

June 3, 2026 · 7 min read

Tama Shimabukuro

Cover Story

Fifteen-year-old Tama Shimabukuro from Hawaii did not arrive through tennis. He arrived through…

May 27, 2026 · 7 min read

Influencer Tyler Stroyek

Cover Story

If your scroll through your Instagram feed and see a blur of neon yellow, a CRBN…

May 20, 2026 · 9 min read

The Flying Frenchman

Cover Story

At a professional pickleball tournament, there are moments when the crowd noise rises…

May 13, 2026 · 11 min read

The Kitchen is Open

Cover Story

A new wave of private social clubs is proving that you can have your dink and dine on it, too, with…

May 6, 2026 · 10 min read

Growing the Game in Cuba

Cover Story

In the sun-drenched streets of Lawton, Havana, the rhythmic thwack of a plastic ball…

Apr 22, 2026 · 14 min read

PARTNERS

Cover Story

From the outside, professional pickleball looks controlled. Clean points. Fast hands…

Apr 15, 2026 · 7 min read

The Malaysian Miracle

Cover Story

In most countries, pickleball grows slowly. It starts with a few courts, a handful of players, and…

Apr 8, 2026 · 6 min read

The New Court Order

Cover Story

Pickleball may be the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., but its apparel evolution is…

Apr 1, 2026 · 7 min read

Beyond the Court with Doyle

Cover Story

On a busy pickleball court in Naples, Florida, it would be easy at first glance to notice the chair…

Mar 25, 2026 · 11 min read

All Ages Rushing to Play

Cover Story

Walk onto almost any pickleball court in America and one thing becomes immediately clear…

Mar 18, 2026 · 8 min read

Luxury Pickleball Clubs

Cover Story

Pickleball’s rise in the U.S. has been dramatic, but nowhere has the sport evolved more rapidly…

Mar 11, 2026 · 7 min read

World Series of Pickleball

Cover Story

Pickleball’s explosive growth has created demand for bigger stages, broader competition, and…

Mar 4, 2026 · 6 min read

Women Redefining the Game

Cover Story

Professional pickleball is no longer a regional phenomenon. It is a global sport with international…

Feb 25, 2026 · 8 min read

Rage on the Pickleball Court

Cover Story

Pickleball built its reputation on something rare in modern sport: accessibility without ego…

Feb 18, 2026 · 8 min read

The Science of “The Dink”

Cover Story

In a sport that increasingly celebrates speed, spin, and power, the dink remains pickleball’s…

Feb 11, 2026 · 6 min read

A New Racket Sport Moves In

Cover Story

Pickleball didn’t just grow. It occupied. Across parks, schoolyards, tennis facilities, gyms, and…

Feb 4, 2026 · 7 min read

AI Line Calling in Pickleball

Cover Story

Pickleball moves fast. Sometimes the ball moves even faster than the human eye can judge. Every…

Jan 28, 2026 · 8 min read

Riding the Pickleball Coattails

Cover Story

Pickleball’s meteoric rise has reshaped far more than recreation schedules and park calendars…

Jan 21, 2026 · 8 min read

The Rise of Head Injuries

Cover Story

Pickleball has earned its reputation as one of the most welcoming, social, and accessible sports…

Jan 14, 2026 · 9 min read

Pickleball in Paradise

Cover Story

With summer months away, it’s a perfect time to combine your love for travel and pickleball into…

Jan 7, 2026 · 7 min read

Pickleball Arrives in Hollywood

Cover Story

Pickleball’s rise didn’t stop at public parks or private clubs. It didn’t stall at celebrity sightings or…

Dec 24, 2025 · 8 min read

Finding Pickleball on the Road

Cover Story

For many pickleball players, travel no longer means taking a break from the game. Whether it’s…

Dec 17, 2025 · 6 min read

The Rise of The Picklr

Cover Story

The Picklr began with a simple belief. Pickleball players deserved a dedicated home. During the…

Dec 10, 2025 · 10 min read

2025 Holiday Gift Guide

Cover Story

The holidays are here, and so is our curated collection of festive finds for the pickleball lovers in your…

Dec 3, 2025 · 10 min read

Pickleball in Japan

Cover Story

For much On a clear evening in Tokyo, play stops for a moment under the orange glow…

Nov 26, 2025 · 11 min read

Inside the Pickleball Gold Rush!

Cover Story

What started as a backyard game on Bainbridge Island, Washington, has turned into one of the…

Nov 19, 2025 · 7 min read

Shifting from Outdoor to Indoor

Cover Story

For much of the year, pickleball is played outdoors under bright skies and warm air. Players fill…

Nov 12, 2025 · 6 min read

Europe’s Next Powerhouse

Cover Story

Beneath the Spanish sun, where the rhythm of life moves between long lunches and late-evening…

Nov 5, 2025 · 7 min read

Waters Redefines Greatness

Cover Story

When Anna Leigh Waters walked onto the courts at the PPA Rate Vegas Cup, all eyes were…

Oct 29, 2025 · 5 min read

World’s 1st Pickleball Stadium

Cover Story

When the first paddle struck the canvas net at Bainbridge Island in 1965, few could have…

Oct 22, 2025 · 6 min read

How Mental Focus Shapes Play

Cover Story

When the score is tied, the sun’s in your eyes, and the rally feels endless, it’s not your paddle that…

Oct 15, 2025 · 7 min read

Pickleball in the Olympics?

Cover Story

Pickleball has exploded across the globe, with courts popping up in gyms, community centers…

Oct 8, 2025 · 4 min read

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