DALLAS, TX – Ben Johns must've known that National Left-Handers Day was on the horizon when he went head-to-head against former tennis star John Isner at the Pickle ‘N Pucks Celebrity Pro-Am last week in Aspen, CO.

The most decorated pickleball player of all-time is a righty, but he chose to play Isner as a lefty during the exhibition match.

It wasn't exactly smooth sailing for Johns during the first few points as he kept hitting the ball a little too far beyond the baseline. Too much power and not enough finesse. He even went for an ATP and missed it by tragically hitting the post.

As expected, though, he quickly made the necessary adjustments and righted the ship. 

It was only a matter of time until Johns turned the tables on a major disadvantage.

Since this was all for fun, he was a lot more emotive on the court, pumping his fist when a net cord went his way and even dropping a tennis grunt. Isner, meanwhile, even went for a tennis style overhead serve. It was clear these two were having a blast. 

And yet, there was a pivotal moment of controversy when Johns hit a shot with his right hand at 5-4. 

The players didn’t even notice the switch, and Johns eventually secured a 7-5 victory. 

Johns was supposed to play left-handed, but he broke the rule. 

Following an unofficial review from commentators Dave Fleming and Leigh Waters, Isner was declared the winner.

Either way, Johns still looked unbelievably strong despite using his non-dominant hand.  Technically, he didn’t win, but he proved that pro pickleball players are stronger than pro tennis players when they first hit the 20x44. It’s a completely different game that takes quite a bit of transition time.

“I’ll be involved with the sport, but I’ll be taking a lot of losses,” said Isner. “Jack Sock is doing incredibly well, but his skill set just translates so well to pickleball a lot better than mine.”

It’s no easy switch for tennis pros to pickleball, especially if they face a player like Johns.