There I was, mindlessly scrolling on Instagram (as we all do). Passing by pickleball highlight reels from 2024, tips and drills from pickleball experts, and cute new winter fashion I’m adding to my cart – when suddenly a new reel from DUPR appeared on my screen. 

The video has a woman acting as a marriage officiant between two pickleball players. 

“Do you David, DUPR 3.987, promise to chase down all the lobs?”

“I do.”

“Do you Angela, DUPR 3.567, promise to work on your forehand dinks?” 

“I do.”

“Now, I pronounce you mixed doubles partners. You may now exchange phone numbers.”

Oh, how this video made me laugh. It’s as funny as it is accurate. 

Here we have two people taking the leap and committing to each other with so much hope in their eyes and on their way to a pickleball getaway in the Caribbean for a picklemoon. It makes me teary-eyed just thinking about it. 

But all jokes aside, this got me thinking. Should DUPR be the new pickleball dating app? 

There’s a pretty big market for a pickleball dating app. After all, all the dating apps have found that pickleball is one of the most popular buzzwords. People are suggesting pickleball as a first date or putting pickleball player in their bios. Others are ditching the apps all together and just hitting the court to find that dubs partner for life. 

With the number of pickleball players growing exponentially, people of all ages and walks of life are picking up paddles in hopes of meeting their romantic partner.

But pickleball compatibility is key to a successful partnership. 

And what’s a great way to easily figure out pickleball compatibility? Your DUPR. 

As shown in the video, if you both are at a similar level, that can be great because both of you are on a similar playing field. You can easily enter tournaments together and improve your skills simultaneously. We’re both at a 3.5, we both have things to work on, and we both want to get better.

Comparing DUPRs for pickleball compatibility is great, too, because you can see their track record. Are they switching up their partners every tournament and blaming their losses on their ex-partners? Have they stuck with one partner for several tournaments, but had a messy doubles divorce?

What kind of tournaments do they like to play? Local, or do they want to travel? How regularly do they play in tournaments? You want someone who has a similar pickleball lifestyle as you. There’s so much you can learn about your potential partner's pickleball history that you can’t find out on any old regular dating app.

The data is all there. So really, all DUPR has to do is create mandatory profile pictures and photos for players to show off their medals and which paddle they use, and it could create a pretty successful pickleball dating app. 

Should DUPR be the next pickleball dating app? Let us know your thoughts on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).