MLP pressure, Asia breakthroughs and pro pickleball workload

This week on the World Pickleball Podcast, Chris Beaumont and Gordon Watson break down one of the busiest weeks in global pickleball.

They discuss the Panas PPA Asia event in Kuala Lumpur, including standout performances from Xiao Yi Wang, Eu Long, Jamie Wei and teenage sensation Tama Shimabukuro, while also looking at what Nasa Hatakeyama’s remarkable run says about Japan’s emerging depth.

The conversation then shifts to Major League Pickleball ahead of the 2026 opener in Dallas, where St. Louis Shock enter as favourites and front-office decisions are becoming almost as important as on-court talent.

Chris and Gordo also explore Anna Bright’s revealing behind-the-scenes vlog and what it says about the growing off-court demands facing professional pickleball players, from sponsor obligations to constant travel and content creation.

Elsewhere, they discuss:

• the competitive balance emerging in Canada’s CNPL
• Selkirk’s acquisition of Bread & Butter
• the growth of pickleball infrastructure in Australia and the UK
• and why the sport increasingly feels like a fully professional ecosystem rather than a fast-growing hobby.

Plus: Gordo wins gold in Townsville, Chris questions his own game again, and Lee Whitwell delivers one of the best lines about pickleball psychology you will hear all year.