Championship Pickleball Match Devolves Into Chaos When Losing Team Member Kicks Opponent’s Face

A championship pickleball match devolved into utter chaos over the weekend after a losing team member kicked an opponent squarely in the face. The disrespectful act sent the winner tumbling to the ground following a brief celebration.

Peter Shonk was the player who was kicked. He posted a video of the incident after the fact to let everyone know that he was okay.

In the clip posted to social media, you can see both the kick and the leadup to the incident. Shonk’s team was able to win a late rally to secure the winning point in the title match.

He quickly reacted by screaming, “F— yeah,” while approaching his opponents for a postgame handshake. Taking things a step further, he then smacked the paddle from his foe’s hand, which appeared to be accidental.

Shonk was going for a high five. He was pumped about the victory. He used a little too much force in that handshake attempt. He later did his best to make amends by reaching down to pick up the opponent’s paddle. In doing so, he put himself squarely in the line of danger!

As Shonk bent down, his opposition took the opportunity to literally punt Peter’s face. Shonk was immediately thrown backwards to the ground, where he remained for a few solid moments.

@thekitchenpickleball This video is absolutely insane. It occurred after championship point from a tournament this weekend and the man that was assaulted, Peter Shonk, shared this video with us to post and wants everyone to know that he is ok. While I understand things get heated at tournaments this behavior is disgusting and completely unacceptable. I love pickleball as much as anyone I know but at the end of the day…it’s just pickleball. Thankful that Peter wasn’t seriously injured. 🙏🏼 #pickleball #pickleballtiktok #pickleballplayers #fight #pickleballhighlights #pickleballaddiction #highlights #foryou #fyp #thekitchen ♬ original sound – The Kitchen Pickleball

Sports are competitive! Shonk was happy about the win. His foe was salty with the loss. The celebration prior to the handshake caused tensions to boil over. That doesn’t condone the actions of the opposing player.

Peter Shonk is okay, and despite being kicked, he headed home a pickleball champ.