This week on the World Pickleball Podcast, Chris Beaumont and Gordon Watson break down one of the busiest weeks in global pickleball.

They discuss the Panas PPA Asia event in Kuala Lumpur, including standout performances from Xiao Yi Wang, Eu Long, Jamie Wei and teenage sensation Tama Shimabukuro, while also looking at what Nasa Hatakeyama’s remarkable run says about Japan’s emerging depth.

The conversation then shifts to Major League Pickleball ahead of the 2026 opener in Dallas, where St. Louis Shock enter as favourites and front-office decisions are becoming almost as important as on-court talent.

Chris and Gordo also explore Anna Bright’s revealing behind-the-scenes vlog and what it says about the growing off-court demands facing professional pickleball players, from sponsor obligations to constant travel and content creation.

Elsewhere, they discuss:

• the competitive balance emerging in Canada’s CNPL
• Selkirk’s acquisition of Bread & Butter
• the growth of pickleball infrastructure in Australia and the UK
• and why the sport increasingly feels like a fully professional ecosystem rather than a fast-growing hobby.

Plus: Gordo wins gold in Townsville, Chris questions his own game again, and Lee Whitwell delivers one of the best lines about pickleball psychology you will hear all year.

Chris Beaumont and Gordon Watson return for another World Pickleball Podcast roundup, covering the stories shaping the sport across the globe.

This week’s episode starts in Trinidad and Tobago, where the Caribbean’s first Minor League Pickleball event is set to launch on May 29, before heading to Australia for a look at the newly announced MLP Australia captains and what a reduced eight-team league could mean for the standard of competition.

Chris and Gordo also break down the PPA Finals, the continuing dominance of Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters, the rise of players such as Kiora Kunimoto, Sahra Dennehy, Danni-Elle Townsend, Rachel Rohrabacher and Tama Shimabukuro, plus the latest debate around line calling and whether professional pickleball can continue to rely on player self-officiating.

The episode also looks at the PPA’s new documentary series, the importance of preserving pickleball’s early history, and WPM’s upcoming Road to the English Open project.

A wide-ranging episode on where pickleball is heading, who is rising, and what the sport still needs to fix.

In this episode of the World Pickleball Podcast, Chris speaks to Théo Platel, France’s leading men’s player and the current number one men’s doubles player on the RTA Pickleball Tour rankings.

Théo talks about his route from junior tennis in the south of France into pickleball, the early humbling that made him take the sport seriously, and the role his brother Julien played as doubles partner, coach and manager.

The conversation also goes deep on his partnership with Ben Cawston, why tactical trust matters in doubles, how Théo studies matches to improve, and why his biggest step forward has been mental rather than technical.

They also discuss the cost of chasing a professional pickleball career, the pull of the US and APP/PPA tours, the rise of Louis Laville after Australia, and what European players need if they are serious about closing the gap on the best players in the world.

Théo finishes with a simple but valuable tip for ambitious players: stop trying to win every point too early, build consistency, and make your opponent miss first.

Follow Théo on Instagram: @theoplatel_pb