Previously, we completed the women’s top 20 rankings. Now it is time for the men. As with the women, this is a doubles ranking only, taking into account both men’s doubles and mixed doubles.

 

1. Ben Johns. The interesting thing about Johns is the gap between him and the next tier has grown, not shrunk. Every year, we all (including me) are looking for who will catch and pass him as the best player. The pro pickleball world has caught up to Johns in singles, but not in doubles. The next six players have all had their moments in the last two years where it looked like they might well challenge Johns for the top spot. But each player faded. Johns stays at the top because he is the most patient and disciplined player on tour. He will find the right shot, the right pattern, and he will simply repeat it over and over until he wins. No one else has his patience for long points or his discipline for repeating a winning pattern. Other players can match his talent, especially for short periods. But until other players can match his patience and discipline, they will not challenge for the top spot.

 

2. Hayden Patriquin. If you want to argue Patriquin is the most talented player out there, you would not get much pushback from me. But, we come back to patience and discipline. Patriquin is simply no match for Johns when it comes to patience and discipline. Patriquin tries to do too much on the court and it constantly gets him in trouble. Yes, his speed and quickness will result in him making a lot of spectacular shots; but, it also results in him getting out of position and making too many errors. Unless and until Patriquin learns to imitate Johns’ patience, Patriquin will not consistently beat Johns.

 

3. Gabe Tardio. Tardio is a little hard to rank. He is obviously in the group of six that sits behind Johns. His results in men’s doubles are great. But, he lags a bit behind other top players in mixed doubles. He plays a great right side, but he owes much of his men’s doubles success to playing with Johns. I would like to see a little more success in mixed doubles.

 

4. JW Johnson. Johnson has been playing very well in 2026. He continues to be a force in both men’s and mixed. In mixed, Jorja Johnson has been a little off her game lately, but not JW. In men’s, Johnson and CJ Klinger have been vulnerable lately, but that is due 100% to opponents focusing on Klinger. After going 0-3 in men’s doubles at the PPA Finals, there was some discussion among the pros as to whether Johnson might switch out from Klinger to someone else. In addition to the losses, Johnson is getting frozen out, with opponents hitting everything to Klinger. It is hard enough to lose, but losing when you get no balls hit to you is really tough. I could see Johnson switching, if the trend continues and if he sees a good option. Unfortunately for him, there are not a ton of right side partner options, and that may prove to be the reason Johnson does not switch.

 

5. Andrei Daescu. After his MLP win in 2025, I would have had Daescu at #2. Since that time, he has not played as well. He has been just a little off from his high standards, with his dinking not quite as consistent as we are used to. Surprisingly for someone his height, he also does not have quite the power of the other top players and is not as good at putting the ball away. Daescu is 38, so one thing to watch for is when age will catch up to him.

 

6. Federico Staksrud. Although this is a doubles ranking, Staksrud’s ability to stay near the top of the singles world is amazing. It is a testament to his overall talent. In doubles, he is still adjusting some to playing right side in men’s doubles. His ability to counterattack is not quite as good as the other top players. In mixed doubles, he gets good but not great partners, so his results lag some of the other top players.

 

7. Christian Alshon. Again, the players at #2 through #7 are all fairly equal and I would put them all in the same tier. Alshon was playing his best in 2025. Lately, he has been a little less consistent. He is still right there in the tier below Johns.

 

8. Eric Oncins. Oncins is probably the big mover up in this list. He has developed into a very good left side player, able to cover a lot of court with his length. He is close to that next tier, but needs a little more consistency to get there. Definitely someone who will be challenging to move up in the rankings.

 

9. Noe Khlif. Khlif is another big mover up the rankings, with potential to go higher. His results perhaps do not seem to justify this ranking, but his partners are not of the same quality as the players ranked around him. At the PPA Finals, he with Tyson McGuffin defeated Staksrud and Daescu. In that match, Khlif was the best player on the court. Khlif/McGuffin went on to lose their next two matches, but the question is whether that was on Khlif or McGuffin. If JW Johnson were to change partners, Khlif is the person to call.

 

10. CJ Klinger. He is solidly in this next tier with the players ranked 8-12 or so. The recent losses in men’s doubles in Newport Beach and the PPA Finals raise concerns. His record in mixed doubles is not great. Have opponents found a way to outplay him or are recent losses an aberration? We will have to watch and see. Klinger is a player who could move up or down several spots, depending on how the rest of 2026 goes.

 

11. Dylan Frazier. Frazier continues to be steady. He outplayed Klinger in a key match at the PPA Finals, where so many of the exchanges were between the two of them. If he can focus on playing right side like Collin Johns only with more offense, he can be a great partner to top left side players. In mixed, he can use his quickness to cover a lot of court, but he will have trouble getting partners good enough to consistently beat the players ranked ahead of him.

 

12. Will Howells. Howells has dropped some, but his issues are 100% due to injury. That twisted ankle he suffered earlier this year is still clearly hindering him. Not only has it troubled his play, but it knocked him out of the partner rotation, so now that he is getting back to 100%, he does not have the same quality of partners as he had when 2026 opened. Partners matter. I expect Howells to have a very good MLP season and then get better partners for PPA events later this year. His talent is top 10, his results have not been, so putting him at #12 is a bit of a compromise.

 

13. Connor Garnett. Garnett played really, really well at the PPA Finals. Probably the best doubles play I have ever seen from him. Garnett, along with Riley Newman, were the lowest seed, but they gave Johns/Tardio a scare, racked up some quality wins, and surprisingly finished fourth. I could see Garnett and Riley Newman pairing up for PPA later in 2026.

 

14. Riley Newman. Newman has had an up and down 2026, as he did in 2025. He has sporadically taken too much time away from the court, and the quality of his partners has dropped. But just when you think he may be fading, he pops up with Garnett, playing right side, and plays very well at the PPA Finals. Redefining himself as a right side counterattacker is a smart move, as there are so many great left side players. He has played well with Armaan Bhatia, or I could see him team up with Howells or maybe even Tama Shimabukuro. Lots of choices when you are willing to play right side.

 

15. Jay Devilliers. Devilliers is one of the best comeback stories of 2026. He looked like he might be fading in 2025, but he has been solid in 2026.

 

16. Jaume Martinez Vich. He has been decent in 2026, but nothing special. It looks like younger and newer players will be passing him by.

 

17. Pablo Tellez. Somewhat similar to Martinez Vich. But Tellez has looked pretty good next to Jack Sock in men’s doubles. Tellez/Sock are sort of an inconsistent pair, who have the ability to beat anyone, or lose to anyone.

 

18. Tyson McGuffin. McGuffin remains on the all effort team, and he is fun to watch, but other players are catching and passing him now. He is likely to continue to slowly drop down the rankings.

 

19. Armaan Bhatia. Bhatia has come on strong in 2026. He has a lot of talent, and plays with a super smooth style. He can sometimes be impatient and look to speed up too early. Although Bhatia is new to the PPA US tour, he is 26, so the question is how much more can he improve?

 

20. Tama Shimabukuro. I was hesitant to put Tama in my top 20, but when I look at everyone else, I do not see anyone I am convinced is better right now, going forward. Six months ago, I thought Shimabukuro needed another 18 months to two years to start to really hit his potential. But, three things have changed. First, he has gotten taller. Height matters in pickleball. Second, he has developed a one-hand backhand volley. The two-handed backhand is now a necessity in pro pickleball, for certain shots. But, it is limited for volleying. If you only volley with two hands, you often get jammed. Opponents six months ago were beating Shimabukuro in firefights, but he has improved. Third, he is getting better partners. Never underestimate the importance of partners and the draw.

 

Other players worth noting: Jack Sock (he is finally improving at the little things that are important to doubles); Augie Ge (very steady player); Dekel Bar (has sort of faded from the limelight but he has a lot of talent when he plays); Jonathan Truong (young talent who has not gotten much in the way of results); Blaine Hovenier (great energy on the court); and, Nico Acevedo (keep your eye on him).

 

Finally, I want to separately mention two players, Yuta Funemizu and Collin Johns, who are very difficult to rank. Both are strictly right side players. This is a handicap to them playing mixed doubles. But, both can play a very strong right side game. Funemizu has had success next to Shimabukuro. Johns has dropped out of the limelight, but is now very underrated. He is the only person who can match Ben Johns in patience and discipline. He lacks the offense of younger and newer players, but paired with a strong left side player, Collin Johns can do well. I am actually surprised that no top left side player has offered to play with him. He is capable of medal round level play with the right partner.

 

That is the list for May 2026. Next update will be at the end of the year.

 

Follow me on X @pickleball_jim.