DALLAS, TX – As much as pickleball athletes love the community and social aspects of the game, it’s still a competitive sport where tensions and emotions run high. 

While most of the pros appear to get along great on and off the court, that certainly isn't the case for Collin Johns and Julian Arnold.

The pair have a long-standing rivalry with matches that often involve some chirping and big-time celebrations after earning a point.

On Dec. 2 at the PPA Finals, Johns and Arnold went head-to-head in pool play in men’s doubles, and things did not end cordially. After the Johns brothers triumphed, Collin Johns declined to tap paddles with Arnold. He waved him off and walked to the bench.

Arnold responded by flipping Johns off and followed him to the bench. Sensing the tension, a referee interfered and stood between the two parties. Arnold backed down and instead tossed a ball at Johns.

But, the drama didn’t stop there.

During his post-match interview, Collin had this to say: “Clearly there was some stuff being said early in the match. I mean, honestly, he’s the biggest clown we have on tour, so if you’re going to act like that and exhibit that sort of poor sportsmanship, it’s just not how I was taught to play the game. And if you’re going to taunt and yell at your opponents, you don’t deserve a handshake from me.”

He doubled down on these comments on Monday via his Instagram story by posting a clip of the handshake being waved off with the caption: “Act like a clown, get treated like one…”

Additionally, Collin released a public statement a few hours later that further clarified and justified his actions and previous comments.

He called Arnold a “blowhard bully who consistently talks trash, screams at, stares-down, and taunts the opposition.”

“If you want to talk a big game, and strut around with complete arrogance, at least back it up with some on-court game,” added Collin.

Arnold, meanwhile, has yet to comment.