One of the most viral moments from the Veolia Arizona Open was during women’s doubles when Parris Todd and Rachel Rohrabacher went up against Judit Castillo and Mari Humberg in the quarter finals.

As expected, the action was dynamic, and one of the best points of the day. Castillo and Humberg's defense was incredible as Todd and Rohrabacher drove the ball offensively. Then, Humberg began to hit lob after lob. Todd and Rohrabacher defended every single one with textbook precision. As Pickleballtv broadcaster Dave Fleming says, “This is why we love women’s doubles.”

But when Humberg hit the final lob of the point, there was clear miscommunication between Todd and Rohrabacher. It seemed like both women were going to return it, so within a second, Rohrbacher squatted down to give Todd more space to make the return, while Todd simultaneously withdrew her arm so that Rohrabacher could return it.

Then, the ball ends up hitting Rohrabacher, ending the rally.

It was one of the most unlikely finishes to a point I’ve ever seen, and it’s undoubtedly a really funny watch. To watch a shot like this – that’s relatively easy to return – miss is uncharacteristic for the best players in the game. It’s the kind of miscommunication shot that I encounter when I play dubs with someone new. This is the kind of stuff that literally happens to me, and other rec and amateur players at courts across the globe.

These funny moments are what makes the game so fun and relatable.

I’m sure Todd and Rohrabacher were incredibly frustrated by this moment, but I found it so endearing. It made me feel better about my game.

There’s something about watching the pros mess up that’s incredibly human. Like when Anna Bright misses a return, your heart breaks for her because you can relate to the feeling. We’ve all been down, had an amazing comeback, and can taste the sweetness of victory when you make some stupid mistake that costs you a game.

It’s so relatable. And that’s what makes pro pickleball even more special, it’s that the players who watch pro pickleball, they likely play too. So they know how impressive the pros’ shot selections are, and they understand the frustration over miscommunication with a partner.

This is a hot take, but I love when a pro gets the yips. Or when they miss a simple dink. There’s something about it that makes it so human. Of course, watching Anna Leigh Waters dominate is always marvelous. But I love when there’s a mess up and she has to really grind to get the point back, simply because it’s so uncharacteristic for her. Because we all mess up, even the greats.

No one wants to watch a perfect game or a perfect pro athlete. It’s fun at first, but at some point it becomes boring. As spectators, we want to watch a scrappy battle like the men’s doubles gold medal match with Alshon, Daescu and Funemizu, Acevedo. We want the best in the game to be challenged, to see how they recover from small mistakes. It’s what makes them human, what helps us relate to them, and what makes sports that much more fun.

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