JW Johnson Is World No.1 — Is Ben Johns Sinking? | With Gordon Watson

JW Johnson is the new world No.1 on DUPR — so is Ben Johns actually coming off the boil? Chris Beaumont is joined by Gordon Watson to unpick the biggest talking point in pickleball.

Gordo was at the English Nationals at Bolton Arena, so we go through the results. Barbara Capper and Sharon Tinsley took the 50+ women's doubles title on the Friday, with Amanda Evans and Julie Mac second and Rochelle Penrose and Anna Linton third, and Richard Love finishing just outside the medals in the 50+ men's. On the Saturday, James Chaudry and James Ling beat Ben Cawston and Louis Laville in the men's open final, and Katie Morris and Molly O'Donoghue won the women's open over Evie Kenna and Ellie Tomkinson. On the Sunday, Ellie Tomkinson and James Ling took the mixed open, beating Molly O'Donoghue and Louis Laville, with Katie Morris and James Lofthouse taking bronze.

Gordo also explains why the Franklin ball nobody was expecting became the story of the weekend, what Louis Laville said after the men's final, and how quickly Pickleball England responded.

Then: ITV picking pickleball up in the build-up to the Nationals, and why more exposure doesn't automatically mean more money for governing bodies that are running on zero funding.

And the big one. JW Johnson now holds the highest DUPR rating in the world. Is that a changing of the guard, or is the "Ben Johns is sinking" narrative premature? We talk Hayden Patriquin ("arguably the most insane pickleball talent in the world"), Christian Alshon and Gabe Tardio knocking on the door, the Jack Sock partnership, the Australian cricket team comparison, and whether any player would trade weeks at No.1 for major titles.

Plus the first World Pickleball Magazine Heat Check rankings: a combined men's and women's top 10, with Anna Leigh Waters five points clear of Anna Bright, Ben Johns third and Hayden Patriquin fourth — and how the model is built from pickle stats rankings, results rating, win percentage over the last 20 matches, MLP form and the fantasy league model.

We also cover the Nations Cup (the US won it again, and Anna Bright had a moment she won't want to watch back), whether a Great Britain team would be England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland under Olympic rules, and the LIV Golf comparison for players moving between tours.

Finally, what's next: Rome on Wednesday night, Austria on the 22nd, MLP Australia and MLP Asia the weekend after next, and a rumour about a very big global announcement coming this week.

Chapters:

00:00 A podcast studio in the back of a van

00:31 Nations Cup: the US win again

01:27 Anna Bright and an unusual first game

03:46 How Latin America swept Australia

04:21 Is the Nations Cup a trial for the World Cup?

09:24 English Nationals results

10:11 Women's doubles 50+: Capper and Tinsley take gold

12:01 The Franklin ball nobody expected

12:31 Louis Laville's interview and Pickleball England's response

16:01 Ellie Tomkinson and the future of mixed doubles

16:44 ITV, exposure and the funding problem

18:46 DUPR seeding at the English Open

19:30 JW Johnson is world No.1

20:32 Hayden Patriquin: the most insane talent

21:02 How the Heat Check rankings work

22:05 The first Heat Check top 10

22:47 Would you trade No.1 for a major?

24:14 JW's MLP season and the Danni-Elle Townsend reel

25:14 The "Ben Johns is sinking" narrative

26:29 "Are you calling Jack Sock the team?"

28:35 Ben Johns, Anna Leigh Waters and unreal expectations

30:11 The mixed doubles question at the Worlds

32:11 Gordon's pickleball week in Rockhampton

33:22 Chris's week: Rome, Austria, MLP Australia and Asia

34:44 Sign-off

Guest: Gordon Watson

Host: Chris Beaumont

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