Matt Wright: Rivalries, Breakups, and the Future of Pickleball

Matt Wright is one of the most polarizing, respected, and mysterious players in pickleball — and somehow, he had never done a real pickleball podcast… until now. At 48 years old, Matt is still making PPA finals, still out-thinking kids half his age, and still one of the most entertaining players on tour. In this episode, Matt sits down with Roscoe and Jared to finally tell his full story: from obsessed tennis kid in Wichita, to #1 at Michigan with Tom Brady in his dorm, to discovering pickleball through a made-up “mini tennis” game with a wooden mallet. He opens up about the first US Open, early days with Lucy Kovalova, his loyalty to Connor Pardoe and the PPA through the tour wars, the Riley Newman breakup, what it was really like playing with Ben Johns, the Julian Arnold rivalry, cheating vs trash talk, and why he thinks pickleball is at a crossroads: chess match or power game? Delivered by @DoorDash ! 🚘 Pickleballers Hat: 🧢 https://shop.thekitchenpickle.com/products/pickleballer-snapback?variant=58191198781521 Instagram: 📲 @pickleballers 📲 @thekitchenpickleball 📲 @roscoebellamy 📲 @jpaulthechef 01:12 – Why Matt Wright has never done a pickleball podcast 02:37– Growing up in Wichita as an only child 05:20 – Falling in love with tennis watching John McEnroe 07:05 – Junior grind, national tournaments & balancing real school 08:32 – Choosing Michigan over Stanford & TCU 11:35 – Playing #1 at Michigan, rivalry matches & old tennis footage 13:00 – Age vs Athleticism 16:22 – Fire, villains, and why sports need characters 20:57 – Don't piss Matt off 22:34 – Discovering “mini tennis,” meeting Lucy, and the backyard sport that led to pickleball 26:15 – 2016 US Open debut: pushing Morgan Evans & Marcin Rozpedski to the brink 29:35 – 2016 Matt Wright footage 36:52 – Early paddle deals, Engage days, and the pre-testing paddle era 37:41 – Connor Pardoe, PPA beginnings, and why Matt stayed loyal during the tour wars 42:06 – The Riley Newman breakup 45:05 – Playing with Ben Johns: gameplans, covering 65% of the court & the backhand counter era 49:19 – Blowing leads, mental edges & why everyone tightened up against Ben/Collin 51:15 – Partner carousel: Rafa, Jay, Dylan & the hypothetical JW/Matt super team 53:00 – Ranking today’s top 5 men’s doubles players 54:17 – The Julian Arnold rivalry, chirping, and separating on-court battles from real life 56:54 – Hitting Jesse, not apologizing 58:54 - Cheating in pickleball 59:57 – Who Matt really is off court, no social media, and being “mysterious” on tour 1:03:10 – No Senior Pro plans, Andre Agassi fantasy partner & where pickleball goes next 1:04:12 - The future of pickleball? 1:06:21 – Legacy: how Matt Wright wants to be remembered #Pickleballers #Pickleball #PPA #MLP #ProPickleball #MattWright Source: The Kitchen - A Pickleball Community

Anuncie Aqui / Advertise Here

Sua marca para o mundo Pickleball! / Your brand for the Pickleball world!