More than 60,000 spectators streamed through the gates at Brookhaven Country Club and onto Pickleball Boulevard in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Farmers Branch for a milestone celebration of America’s fastest-growing sport—the 2025 Jenius Bank Pickleball World Championships.

The biggest pickleball event on the planet featured a record-setting 4,400 participants representing 49 states (plus the District of Columbia) and 38 countries, competing in over 6,300 matches as part of the historic 100th tournament in Carvana PPA Tour history.

“Worlds exceeded the experiential goals that we set for it,” said United Pickleball Association (UPA) Chief Tour Officer Brian Clark. “We had a tremendous number of people walking up and down Pickleball Boulevard having an unbelievably great time, the courts were amazing, and the play was spectacular. It was an outstanding opportunity for people to do more than just play in a tournament, but also to participate in a true pickleball festival.”

Professional pickleball’s brightest stars thrilled fans with highlight-reel performances and unforgettable matches.

Eighteen-year-old superstar Anna Leigh Waters dominated in the Lone Star State, claiming gold in mixed doubles alongside Ben Johns, women’s doubles with Anna Bright, and women’s singles to earn a prestigious Triple Crown and become the Tour’s all-time winningest player with her 168th career title.

“I'm feeling so much gratitude, so much happiness. This was 3000 [ranking points], so if there's one tournament I wanted to win a Triple Crown at, it was definitely this one,” said Waters, shortly after defeating Kate Fahey in straight games to cap off Championship Sunday in style. “You never know when it's going to be your last Triple Crown, so every time I really try to cherish the moment. I just put so much pressure on myself for this week, really wanting to do well and fighting through a lot of different things, so I'm really proud.”

On the men’s side, Federico Staksrud reclaimed the No. 1 spot in men’s singles with a victory over Chris Haworth, who had built major momentum with wins against Christian Alshon, Dylan Frazier, and Hunter Johnson.

Staksrud also partnered with Hayden Patriquin to take men’s doubles gold, defeating JW Johnson and CJ Klinger on Nature’s Sunshine Championship Court. However, it was their upset victory over Johns and Gabe Tardio on Semifinal Saturday that was the proverbial cherry on top.

Johns and Tardio, the top seeds, entered the matchup riding a streak of six straight golds and were widely expected to reign supreme again.

“It’s been a tough year in doubles, and I worked so hard for this. I’m just so happy that we get to do this, and I have so much respect for Ben and Gabe. They’re great players,” shared a visibly emotional Staksrud. “I just love this game and I love this sport.”

Amateurs of all ages—from kids to seniors—also reveled in the opportunity to compete on pickleball’s biggest stage, many traveling long distances to take part in the event.

Chris Olson, the Minnesota-based content creator behind the Pickleball Studio YouTube channel, appreciated everything Worlds had to offer. Competing in 5.0 men’s and mixed doubles, he soaked in the wonderful atmosphere.

“My overall impression of Worlds was great. For me, it’s all about seeing old friends and meeting new people, which the event does a great job of. Worlds has definitely improved every year, and I think it’s one of the three major events that people should try and attend annually,” praised Olson, a paddle and gear review specialist. “My favorite memory was probably a three-game match I had on an indoor grandstand court. There was good energy and good competition, and playing on a large lit court was a lot of fun.”

Two-time World Series champion Hunter Pence and former NFL wide receiver Eric Decker also put their amateur pickleball skills on display and embraced the festival environment.

“Tough to beat pickleball, family, and friends,” wrote Pence via Instagram in a heartfelt post to commemorate his trip from California. “First tournament in the books and an unforgettable experience!”

Decker earned silver in 4.0 men’s doubles with partner Shelton Wicks after traveling from Tennessee.

“Shelton’s doubles partner dropped out, so he asked me to play, and I’m thankful that he did. This is my first tournament, and it’s an incredible setup and an incredible experience,” said Decker. "Honestly, I was a little overwhelmed when I walked in with it being my first tournament and not knowing logistics. It’s a big space and lots of courts, lots of people, but you can feel the energy with the music pumping. This is incredible. I’m definitely coming back.”

This edition of Worlds actually stretched across two weekends. The first featured the St. Louis Shock claiming the inaugural Edward Jones MLP Cup Premier Level title over the hometown Dallas Flash. Meanwhile, Utah Tech University topped a global field during the first-ever Adidas College World Championships.

As the days progressed, Junior PPA standouts shined, adaptive wheelchair champions were crowned, and competitions like the Battle of the Badges and Battle of Branches honored military veterans and first responders. The inaugural PPA Challenger Showdown concluded with top performers earning coveted Carvana PPA Tour contracts.

Pickleball Boulevard pulsed with constant activity—fans enjoyed live programming, the sold-out Celebrity Pickleball Showdown featuring stars Dirk Nowitzki, Terrell Owens, J.D. Martinez, and Tfue, clinics from elite pros, daily concerts on the FLIGHT by Yuengling Stage, including a memorable Mat Kearney performance, XGLOsive glow-in-the-dark pickleball, King of the Court play, a wooden paddle tournament, and a parent-child round robin.

“The flow of Pickleball Boulevard was beneficial to both the people primarily there for the Boulevard, but also for the players being able to go back and forth,” noted Clark. “The activations were amazing, too. We had people playing on the rollout pickleball courts, and all of our vendors had people stopping by and interacting with them. Pickleball Central’s court was fantastic. That place always had lines of people wrapped around it watching, participating, and having a great time. The stage location created a destination, ticketing was amazing, and VIP was spectacular. It felt like everyone could really find what they wanted to get out of the event.”

Given pickleball’s meteoric rise in popularity and the storylines taking shape on-site, fan engagement soared to unprecedented levels. Pickleballtv viewers watched a record 70 million minutes of Worlds coverage, while official social media generated a combined 54 million impressions.

“Being at the Jenius Bank Pickleball World Championships was electric,” stated Jenius Bank President John Rosenfeld. “The energy on the grounds, the level of competition, and the passion of this community are unmatched. We’re proud to champion a sport that brings people together and celebrates what it means to live richer lives—on and off the court.”

It’s safe to say that Worlds set a new standard.

“We came back to Brookhaven this year in anticipation of putting on the largest, greatest event the pickleball world had ever known, and we did just that. This was the 100th PPA event and it was a remarkable showcase of how much we have grown,” said Carvana PPA Tour Founder & CEO Connor Pardoe. “We feel confident in saying that the 2025 edition of the Jenius Bank Pickleball World Championships was the most extraordinary tournament in pro pickleball history.”

This article was featured in the November/December 2025 edition of Pickleball Magazine.