USA Pickleball Makes Announcement Regarding Update to JOOLA Gen3 Paddles

In what feels like a never ending saga, USA Pickleball made an official update on their X account Tuesday afternoon:

The History

May 16th, 2024 - USA Pickleball and JOOLA came out with these statements regarding the JOOLA Gen3 paddles: 

May 24th, 2024 - JOOLA released this statement: 

June 4th, 2024 - USA Pickleball Releases this statement:

The Details

In November 2023, JOOLA submitted the following paddles to USA Pickleball for certification, and they were certified:

May 14th - JOOLA informed USA Pickleball that the paddles they submitted were not the actual paddles that went out to the public.

May 16th - USAP made the announcement saying the above paddles were de-listed from the approved list because of the "clerical error."

May 16th - JOOLA also made an announcement saying it was just a clerical error and they were going to re-submit the correct paddles – these paddles were "materially the same" and they were confident USAP would approve the new paddles.

May 17th - JOOLA re-submitted the correct paddles and paid an expedited fee for each of them.

May 24th - JOOLA announced they had made the submission, but had not yet heard from USA Pickleball on the expedited process.

May 29th - The PPA made JOOLA Gen3 paddles illegal for use at the PPA Texas Open and moving forward until they were USA Pickleball certified.

June 4th - USA Pickleball announced the JOOLA Gen3 paddles did not pass all requirements and that they would work with JOOLA on specific failures, mentioning a "Corrective Action Plan" that JOOLA could go through.

What this means for pros: Pro players on the APP Tour, PPA Tour, and MLP will not be playing with JOOLA Gen3 paddles for the foreseeable future.

What this means for amateur players

• Players who play tournaments: If the tournament is USA Pickleball sanctioned, players cannot play with the JOOLA Gen3. If the tournament is not sanctioned, check with your Tournament Director whether the paddle is allowed or not.
• Recreational players: This really doesn’t affect the ability for rec players to use the paddle. It may be frowned upon – or even banned – at local clubs or locations, but most rec players could still use the Gen3 paddles.

What this means for JOOLA

• Joola is going to have to go through whatever changes USA Pickleball says and then re-submit the changes before being re-certified.
• In the meantime, JOOLA is honoring it’s return policy, allowing players to return paddles within 30 days of purchase.