Show Notes
The most chaotic, electric MLP finals yet gave us the league’s defining rivalry, a controversial game-ending fault, and Federico Staksrud celebrating like he’d just survived a war. If you care about the future of pickleball - or just love a good sports meltdown - this is the episode to hear.
Nico and Zane break down the New Jersey Fives’ championship run in Central Park, where the crowd, the clowns, and the pressure all felt bigger than the court itself. They unpack why the venue was both iconic and flawed, how the rollout courts got worse as the weekend went on, and why those conditions may have changed key points in the semifinals and finals.
You’ll hear the full breakdown of the St. Louis Shock vs. New Jersey Fives title match, including the matchpoint controversy that ended the Brooklyn semifinal, the tactical swings in men’s and mixed, and the insane fact that every player went 1-1 across the two-day series. They also dig into the chaos around crowd energy, the ethics of heckling, and whether the Fives’ fan culture is a competitive advantage or a line-crossing spectacle.
Nico and Zane also get into the biggest question coming out of the weekend - does Anna Leigh Waters need an MLP title for her legacy, or has she already entered untouchable territory? They compare her dominance to Messi, debate her value in a team draft, and explain why her championship moment felt inevitable even before the trophy was handed out.
🏓 Donate to the Solomon Boltes Memorial Pickleball Courts: https://www.gofundme.com/f/building-solomon-boltes-memorial-pickleball-courts
📩 Subscribe to our free newsletter for everything that matters in pickleball: https://subscribe.thedinkpickleball.com
#Pickleball #PickleballPodcast #mlp #ppa
------------------
Like the ep? Do us a favor: subscribe to our channel and leave a review on Apple or Spotify
-Follow us on IG : https://www.instagram.com/thedinkpickleball/
-Join the Pro Pickleball Talk Discord → https://discord.gg/ZCqXrxhgsv
-For everything else we do, visit https://linktr.ee/dinkfam
-Read more about Zane and subscribe to his newsletter at https://zanenavratilpickleball.com/
-Follow Zane on IG @zanenavratilpickleball
------------------
00:00 Intro and MLP Finals atmosphere
5:16 Nico’s favorite part of the Finals
9:08 Roll out courts cost match points
12:25 Has MLP outgrown Central Park?
17:29 Nico becomes a Dallas Flash Ambassador
19:56 Brooklyn vs The Fives
26:06 New Jersey’s clowns pushing the limits
37:29 Was this the best finals?
44:53 Zane shares news about his future
49:27 Did ALW need an MLP title on her resume?
57:56 Nico can’t Erne
1:02:31 Drafting the best rivalries in pickleball
1:09:17 All MLP Awards for 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from PicklePod
Pickleball is getting louder, messier, and more interesting—and this week’s conversation proves it. Zane Navratil and Nico break down the latest pro pickleball stories, from tournament scheduling chaos in Australia and Hong Kong to first-time gold medalists, the rise of Elliott Shupp, and the debate over what belongs on center court.
The biggest indoor pickleball business story of the year collides with a wild Chicago recap, and the debate around Annalee Waters, Ben Johns, and the future of pro pickleball gets surprisingly deep fast. If you want the sharpest takes on the PPA Chicago chaos, the Pickler bankruptcy, and the next wave of stars, this is the episode.
Anna Bright joins Zane and Nico after her gold-medal run in Las Vegas to explain the moment everyone was talking about: challenging a ball at 10-0 with a double pickle on the line.
Zane Navratil is a PPA gold medalist again—and Nico Acevedo nearly turned a grueling tournament run into a championship of his own. Zane shares what made PPA Barcelona feel like a throwback, while Nico joins the conversation to unpack his breakout performance alongside Yuta Funemizu.
One of the wildest pickleball Sundays in a long time just got even crazier. A 15 seed nearly hijacks men’s doubles, a bird literally crashes the singles final, and the new PPA format changes are already reshaping who gets rewarded, who gets punished, and who might be gaming the system.