The biggest name in pickleball, Anna Leigh Waters has been competing with a mystery Franklin paddle for three months now. And I think the tease has lasted far too long.

Waters started using a blacked-out paddle with a question mark on it at the MLP Finals in August. At first, it was the perfect way to spark interest for a new paddle drop at one of the marquee events of the year.  

However, it’s now November. Waters has competed in six PPA tournaments, including the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships, and she’s still using that question mark paddle.

If there was any tournament to debut a new paddle, it would be the World Championships. The fact that she won her 46^th triple crown at pickleball’s biggest event of the year and she’s still using a paddle with a question mark on the front – with no information on what, where, when, or even why she’s still playing with a mystery paddle – makes me assume the worst with the new Franklin paddle.

This is because a brand wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) be teasing a new product for this long, especially as we enter into the busiest shopping season. PPA Worlds is the most optimal time for any brand to debut a new product because it falls just ahead of the holidays and more people are tuning into the event because it’s the biggest of the year.

Just look at Water’s Nike court shoes that launched at Worlds, the buzz was incredible.   

But the World Championships has come and gone and the G.O.A.T. is still playing with a question mark paddle. At this point I wish she could just play with a blacked-out paddle because the charm of the “?” has worn off.

Zane Navratil, pro pickleball athlete, believes that there must be something wrong with Water’s new Franklin paddle.

“This is going on way longer than a normal paddle tease should. Especially when you’re paying the best player in the world, millions and millions of dollars per year. And if we were going to see the new line before the holidays, I can almost guarantee you that AL would have been using it at Worlds, even if it wasn’t available for sale,” he said in a video on YouTube.

“Missing out on the most important time of the year makes me wonder, is the question mark paddle even a real product? Back in April, JOOLA sued 11 paddle brands over its core technology. Most of them have settled but Franklin is one of the only holdouts. Was the question mark paddle just buying time while they made an entirely new paddle? I have no idea,” said Navratil.

“But something is definitely going on because you don’t tease a paddle in August, that’s not going to be available for Christmas,” Navratil concluded.

Initially, I thought the “?” paddle was a clever way to build buzz and anticipation. But now, the mystery has worn off. I’m not excited anymore. I’m just annoyed because the bit has gone on long enough.

Aesthetically, it doesn’t look good. And it’s frustrating for fans of Franklin or Waters who want more information on the product. And it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting information on it anytime soon. If Franklin didn’t reveal the paddle during Worlds, will they ever?

So, what do you think? Has the mystery “?” Franklin paddle bit gone on long enough? Is something bigger going on behind the scenes? Let us know on Instagram.