Little did broadcaster Dave Fleming know that an impromptu hitting session with one of pickleball’s best athletes for the PPA Pickleball Tour 2025 video game would lead to something extra special.

The backstory is a good reminder to take full advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.

"Last year in Mesa, FarSight Studios needed someone to hit with Meghan Dizon to do her part of the character maneuvers wearing all the motion capture stuff. They were like, ‘We need someone who can actually hit,’ so I volunteered," recalled Fleming. "After that, the people from FarSight were like, ‘Put the stuff on. Maybe we can do something here.’ I put on all the bands that are used to track your movements, and then it was their idea to have my character play in a suit with the headset on."

That's right! The man affectionately known as "The Voice of Pickleball" isn't just a color commentator alongside Michelle McMahon in the video game, he's a player too.

It's a dream come true for the senior pro.

"I was a kid that played a lot of video games, so it’s fantastic in the best possible way," said Fleming. "What a wonderful thing pickleball has been for me. It’s a privilege to do what I do, and now I can beat Ben Johns, which would never, ever, ever happen on the real 20x44."

FarSight Studios made him an attractive character option with an overall rating of 87 after taking into account his respective numbers in several categories: athleticism (82), power (84), accuracy (86), hand speed (86), and dinking (98).

That dinking proficiency definitely caught his attention.

"They’ve watched me play a little bit because when you’re 5’8" and you’re in your 50s, you better be able to dink. I think they had a little fun with that, let’s be honest, but I’m honored to have a number that high," mentioned Fleming. "I mean the rest of it, compared to the great athletes that we have... I think the inclusion of me in this is to have some fun. Just don’t mess with me at the line because I’m going to dink you to death, but if you speed it up, my hands suck compared to everybody else."

And yes, the Pittsburgh native does provide commentary on his own play, which is rather amusing to say the least.

"Out of the booth and into the winner's circle for Dave Fleming. That's me!"

"What a forehand! Beautiful shot from Dave right there!"

"Dave Fleming makes yet another mistake. He should stick to the booth."

He relished the chance to record classic lines like that.

"Once they figured out we could have the character, I read more lines about me that weren’t in the original script. That’s what happened in the little clip that just went out on Instagram. There’s some positive, and there’s got to be self-deprecating humor too. That’s the best humor in the world," noted Fleming. "When they said we can do this with the suit and the headset and everything, and a pretty authentic twoey, I was pretty happy with that. I’ve gotten to do a lot of amazing things because of pickleball, and this is so much fun."

Click here to learn more about PPA Pickleball Tour 2025, which is available on Xbox, PS5, Steam, and Nintendo Switch.