Forget about JW vs Ben or Ben vs Riley; it's all about the Zane vs Rafa rivalry. If you didn't see them play last week, Zane killed Rafa. Rafa was using the Adidas paddle, which might be the worst paddle on the market. Zane beat Rafa so badly that Rafa challenged his paddle, leaving Zane pretty angry. He even tossed his paddle to the floor. The paddle passed and wasn’t deemed illegal.
In the first round of the Austin Open, they faced each other, and it was Rafa's turn to put a beatdown on Zane. He switched paddles to the Joola, proving that the Adidas paddle is terrible. There were some good moments in that match. Zane seemed to be getting flustered and missing easy shots. He was going for his forehand pancake shot thing but whiffed it, and it hit his head and went over. Then, you had Rafa shooting him with finger guns and slinging it back into the holster, giving us one of the funniest exchanges this year.
Rafa went on to beat him pretty comfortably. Which gives the question does the paddle really matter?
We need to see this rivalry more often!
If you want to see that clip click HERE
Clayton Boydston is a self proclaimed pickleball fanatic! A former semi-pro soccer player, he was looking for a new athletic outlet as he transitioned out of soccer. He discovered pickleball when he moved to Utah County in the summer of 2021. From the moment he stepped on the court he was addicted. He studied hours of professional pickleball matches, drilled for hours, and played matches every chance he got. He started as a 3.0 player and quickly advanced to the pro ranks. Clayton loves everything pickleball and loves writing about the latest news and events of this sport he loves.
He is also a pickleball instructor and of the founders of the Boydston Pickleball Academy where they teach beginners all the way up to advanced players.