Everything you missed in pickleball pop culture in January 2026
At the start of the new year, professional players announced their partnerships for 2026.
Among the notable pairings are Gabe Tardio with Catherine Parenteau, Christian Alshon with Hayden Patriquin, and Parenteau with Rachel Rohrabacher.
Michael Loyd was named the head of development of the Texas Ranchers Academy.
Vivienne David retired from pro pickleball.
Actor and Hollywood heartthrob Zac Efron was spotted playing pickleball in Austin, TX.
The PPA Challenger Series hosted its first tournament of the calendar year in Punta Gorda and Ewa Radzikowska and Tammy Emmrich won gold in women’s doubles.
Several notable pros switched paddle companies. Anna Leigh Waters left Paddletek and signed with Franklin pickleball. Rachel Rohrabacher signed with Friday Pickleball. Gabe Tardio left PIKKL and signed with Facolos. Eric Oncins signed with Engage. And Jorja Johnson and JW Johnson announced their departure from Franklin, though they’ve yet to announce what brand they’ll be playing with next.
A trend dominated the internet where people shared photos from 2016. Meghan Dizon, Genie Bouchard, and Hannah Blatt participated in the trend with a trip down memory lane.
Christian Alshon got a new car.
Anna Leigh Waters signed an apparel deal with Nike.
Rafa Lenhard signed with the PPA Tour.
Roscoe Bellamy attended the Beast Games premier. And Noe Khlif and his family took a trip to France.
The Carvana PPA Masters was played in California. Anna Leigh Waters received a custom manicure for the event. And she also hit a lot of lob serves during mixed doubles.
Twin brothers Hunter and Yates Johnson went head-to-head in men’s singles.
Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns won mixed. Anna Leigh Waters claimed women's singles. Chris Haworth snagged his second straight title in men’s singles. Anna Leigh and Anna Bright won women’s doubles, and Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio won men’s doubles.
Anna Leigh Waters captured her 40th Triple Crown.
Stanley Cup champion Adam McQuaid became an investor in a pickleball club back home in Prince Edward Island.
The Best Dressed List from the Masters featured new faces like Lingwei Kong, Ella Yeh, and Alli Phillips.
Tyler Loong gave us a house tour.
The PPA Masters broadcast on CBS set an all-time record for pickleball viewership, peaking at a million viewers.
The PPA Challenger Series will test out narrower courts for singles.
Tyson McGuffin went golfing with his son in Palm Springs.
After some fun in the sun, the pros headed to the chilly Midwest for the Pickleball Central Indoor National Championships.
Kiora Kunimoto beat Zoey Wang and Brooke Buckner in women’s singles. And 14-year-old Cam Chaffin defeated the No. 2 seed Federico Staksrud.
Julian Arnold had quite the dramatic reaction and threw his paddle.
Parris Todd claimed women’s singles. Hurricane Tyra Black and Christian Alshon won their first title together in mixed. Gabe Tardio and Andrei Daescu won men’s doubles. Anna Bright and Anna Leigh Waters secured another win in women’s doubles. And Hunter Johnson won men’s singles, securing his 7th career title.
The best dressed players included Anna Leigh Waters, Rachel Rohrabacher, and Hayden Patriquin.
Super Bowl bound New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and coach Josh McDaniels shared that pickleball built the foundation for their professional partnership.
Hunter and Yates Johnson signed with HIT Pickleball.
NHL and WWE broadcaster Jackie Redmond and her husband Emmett Blois share the story of their pickleball apparel line, Good Dink.
Gabe Tardio reached the World No. 1 spot in men’s doubles.
Jimmy Fallon talked about Anna Leigh’s Nike deal, and then he argued with a band member about pickleball versus padel.
Genie Bouchard visited Helsinki, Finland. And pro pickleball couple Alex Walker and Greg Dow took a cruise.
The Miami Pickleball Club took a trip to Vietnam.
Anna Leigh Waters made her second appearance on a billboard in Times Square, but this time it was for Franklin.
The PPA Tour was also featured on a billboard in Times Square, and Jorja Johnson stopped by to see it.
What was your favorite moment from pickleball pop culture in January? Let us know on Instagram or X (formerly Twitter).
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