As the pickleball craze continues to sweep the nation, professional tours are increasing in popularity. The PPA (Pro Pickleball Association) Tour is the most prominent and respected entity at this point in time.
You know it is legit because controversy struck at the Red Rock Open over the weekend!
A debate has since ensued about respect. Is it wrong to take advantage of the rules as they are written? I can’t believe I have to say this, but the answer is a hard no. And yet, here were are.
The whole incident went down in the mixed doubles portion of the weekend.
Former Big 12 tennis star Lina Padegimaite and three-time Wisconsin tennis state champion Zane Navratil faced former All-ACC tennis standout Martina Frantova and four-time APP gold medalist Andrei Daescu in the Round of 32. Padegimaite and Navratil were seeded at No. 12. Frantova and Daescu at 19.
Things got testy when Padegimaite slipped right outside of the kitchen in the middle of a point. Daescu, one of the taller players on the tour at 6-foot-4, hammered his return right back at her on the ground.
He immediately apologized after the point and said that he “had to.” Padegimaite was visibly furious.
Daescu and Frantova went on to beat Padegimaite and Navratil in two sets and later lost in the semifinals. However, they are now at the center of dissension because of the shot in the Round of 32.
People who lead with logic point to the rules and say that it was a completely fair play. It was not Daescu’s fault that Padegimaite slipped and took forever to get back to her feet. He simply played the point in the most simple way possible to score.
And then there is the other side of the argument.
There are people who believe that Daescu broke the unwritten rules of pickleball and was disrespectful. They think that he should have rallied with Navratil until Padegimaite was back standing. They are dumb!