If you’ve ever wondered what paddles pros really use, the short answer is JOOLA dominates the men’s and women’s rankings — but 2026 has brought some genuinely wild sponsorship shakeups. Hunter Johnson is swinging a brand-new startup paddle, Anna Leigh Waters left Paddletek for Franklin, and Federico Staksrud’s brief Adidas detour ended faster than a poached lob.
Men
Hunter Johnson — HIT Hand Cannon
Hunter Johnson made a bold move by signing with HIT Pickleball, a brand co-founded by popular content creator Tfue and coach Anandan. The Hand Cannon features an innovative 3D-printed carbon fiber handle designed to eliminate the durability issues pros typically face with conventional grips. He tested the prototype at a PPA event and went on to compete with it full-time — which tells you everything about how quickly he trusted it.
Federico Staksrud — JOOLA Kosmos
The Argentine-born world number two has had one of the most dramatic paddle journeys in the sport. He left JOOLA for Adidas at the start of 2025, co-designed a signature paddle, then parted ways with the brand after roughly five months when the paddle simply wasn’t performing up to his standards.
He rejoined JOOLA and he’s debuting the new Kosmos — a paddle that reportedly combines elements of the Perseus and Scorpeus lines into one design. Staksrud is one of those players who shows you that what paddles pros really use ultimately comes down to performance, not just the size of the sponsorship check.
Chris Haworth — Luzz Pro Blade 2
One of the most aggressive players on tour, Haworth was the first major name to sign with Babolat in pickleball — then left them to join Luzz Pickleball, a newer brand making serious noise. He currently plays with the Luzz Pro Blade 2 in 14mm, a UPA-A approved paddle with a Cannon 2 core that reviewers describe as fast and pop-heavy. It suits his attacking style perfectly.
Christian Alshon — Paddletek Bantam TKO-CX
At just 25 years old, Alshon is one of the most exciting young talents in the game — known for his trick shots, tweeners, and aggressive baseline game. He’s a Paddletek athlete and plays with the Bantam TKO-CX in 12.7mm, a raw T700 carbon fiber paddle he helped design. The extended 5.75-inch handle suits his two-handed backhand and gives him extra reach, which he uses to devastating effect if you’ve ever watched him play.
Connor Garnett — Paddletek Reserve Honeyfoam
One of the most decorated players in the game with over 20 career medals, Garnett announced that he’d officially joined Team Paddletek after leaving ProXR. He’s playing with Paddletek’s Reserve Honeyfoam paddle, which the company describes as Gen 4 technology — forgiving, balanced, and built for players who need both soft hands and pop at the same time. The honeycomb core technology that Paddletek pioneered back in 2010 has clearly evolved a long way.
Roscoe Bellamy — ProXR Signature Jolt
Former UCLA tennis pro Roscoe Bellamy only made the switch to pickleball in early 2023 and has climbed the standings remarkably fast. He’s with ProXR and plays the Signature Jolt in 13mm, featuring a Toray T700 raw carbon face with a Shock Arrestor foam edge guard that absorbs impact and delivers precise spin. Bellamy won his first PPA gold medal using this exact paddle — which says more about it than any spec sheet could.
Jack Sock — Selkirk LABS Boomstik
Yes, that Jack Sock — four-time Grand Slam doubles champion and 2016 Olympic gold medalist. He’s now firmly embedded in professional pickleball with Selkirk and plays the LABS Boomstik, his signature paddle featuring Selkirk’s InfiniGrit surface and MOI Tuning System that pushes weight to the perimeter for a larger sweet spot. His tennis pedigree comes through in his power game, and the Boomstik suits that style perfectly.
Gabriel Joseph — Six Zero Double Black Diamond
Gabe Joseph has signed with Six Zero and the brand describes him as one of the most dynamic and accomplished players on the men’s side. Six Zero is a well-regarded brand known for precise engineering and carbon-heavy construction.
Jaume Martinez Vich — Six Zero Black Diamond
The Spanish pro has been the face of Six Zero for years and plays with the Black Diamond Power JMV Pro — his own signature paddle designed specifically around his game. It’s a 16mm edgeless design using unidirectional carbon for maximum pop across the face, with an interwoven surface layer for spin. It’s one of the few true signature paddles on tour that was genuinely built around a specific pro’s playing style rather than just slapping a name on an existing model.
John Lucian Goins — JOOLA Collin Johns Scorpeus Pro IV
At just 17 years old, Goins is arguably the most exciting story in professional pickleball right now. He burst onto the scene in 2024, has already beaten Ben Johns, and signed with Team JOOLA in January 2025. He currently plays the Collin Johns Scorpeus Pro IV in 16mm — a paddle designed for control-heavy players who also need reach and precision. Watching a 17-year-old compete at this level with that kind of composure is genuinely something else.
Ben Johns — JOOLA Perseus Pro V
The GOAT holds a lifetime deal with JOOLA and currently plays the Perseus Pro IV — though he was spotted debuting the new JOOLA Pro V at the Cape Coral Open, suggesting a transition to the next generation is already underway. The Perseus Pro IV remains the single most-used paddle model in professional pickleball regardless, and Johns’ fingerprints are all over its design.
Women
Anna Waters — Franklin C45 Aurelius
Anna Leigh Waters made the biggest paddle news recently by signing a long-term deal with Franklin Pickleball after years with Paddletek. Her new signature paddle is the Franklin C45 Aurelius, offered in 12.7mm, 14mm, and 16mm thicknesses. The name is Latin for “golden,” and the paddle features a PowerFlex polymer core with a raw carbon fiber face built specifically around her game. It’s already generating serious interest across the tour.
Kate Fahey — ProXR
One of the most consistent performers on the women’s tour, Fahey ended her JOOLA partnership and signed with ProXR. For now, she’s competing while that paddle gets finalized — which means you might be buying her first signature model in a matter of months.
Kaitlyn Christian — Luzz Pro2
Christian surprised a lot of people by moving from Proton to Luzz Pickleball. And then she went and won her first PPA Women’s Singles title using the Luzz Pro2 almost immediately after signing. That kind of immediate performance with a brand-new paddle from a newer company is hard to ignore. Christian has always played with thinner paddles to maximize her quick hands at the kitchen line, and the Luzz Pro2 clearly fits that approach.
Brooke Buckner — JOOLA Andre Agassi Pro
One of the most consistent performers on tour, Brooke Buckner became the inaugural athlete of the Agassi x JOOLA line in 2025. She plays the Andre Agassi Pro in 14mm, a paddle developed in collaboration with tennis legend Andre Agassi and released at the Tucson Open. It’s a thinner, faster-feeling JOOLA paddle designed for quick response at the kitchen line, and Buckner’s results with it have been hard to argue with.
Lea Jansen — JOOLA Anna Bright Scorpeus Pro IV
A Type 1 diabetic who turned professional pickleballer, Lea Jansen competes at the highest level as a Team JOOLA athlete. Per PPA Tour, she plays the Anna Bright Scorpeus Pro IV in 14mm — a paddle in the same family as the Perseus but optimized for control-oriented players who rely heavily on placement and touch over raw power. Her game is built around consistency, and this paddle reflects that philosophy exactly.
Catherine Parenteau — Selkirk Boomstik / SLK Era
Canadian pro Catherine Parenteau has been one of the most consistent top performers on the women’s tour for several years running. She’s on Team Selkirk with her contract confirmed extended into 2026, and she actually plays two different paddles depending on the format — the Selkirk Boomstik for doubles and the SLK Era for singles. That kind of deliberate paddle selection for different game modes tells you she has an unusually precise understanding of what her game needs in each context.
Parris Todd — Franklin C45 Parris Todd
Todd made the switch from Selkirk to Franklin Pickleball and now has her own signature paddle — the C45 Parris Todd in 13.25mm. It features T700 raw carbon fiber face, a double thermoformed unibody frame for vibration reduction, and a 5.7-inch elongated handle she specifically requested for reach. She described wanting something that balanced power, control, and maneuverability, and by all accounts Franklin delivered exactly that.
Chao Yi Wang — JOOLA Ben Johns Perseus Pro IV
Taiwan’s Chao Yi Wang is a Team JOOLA athlete competing out of Rockville, Maryland. She plays the Ben Johns Perseus Pro IV in 16mm — the same paddle as her teammate Ben Johns and the most popular pro paddle model in the entire sport right now. Her selection of a 16mm paddle is interesting given that most women’s pros trend thinner, suggesting her game leans toward progressive baseline power over quick-pop net exchanges.
Genie Bouchard — Proton Series Three
Yes, that Genie Bouchard — the former Wimbledon finalist who transitioned from professional tennis to professional pickleball. She signed with Proton Sports in April 2025 and plays the Series Three Project Flamingo, the second most-used paddle model among MLP starters. It’s an elongated design built for control and spin, with a gritty surface that suits a player who spent her career developing topspin on a tennis court.
Liz Truluck — JOOLA
Liz Truluck was still working as a tennis coach when she discovered pickleball in 2022 and essentially went from beginner to professional contender in just a few years. She recently joined Team JOOLA, making her the newest addition to what is already the most stacked paddle roster in the sport. Her specific paddle model within the JOOLA lineup is being confirmed as she fully transitions into the team, so watch this space.
FAQs
Should I buy the same paddle a pro uses?
Not necessarily. Pro paddles can be expensive, and some are engineered for swing speeds and technique that intermediate players haven’t developed yet. That said, many pro paddles are genuinely excellent tools. Starting with a mid-range paddle and upgrading once you understand your playing style is usually the smarter approach.
What’s the most popular paddle among pros right now?
The JOOLA Perseus Pro IV is still the single most popular model in professional pickleball, used by 10 MLP starters. Among brands, JOOLA sponsors more professionals than any other company across both the men’s and women’s tours combined.
Why did Anna Leigh Waters leave Paddletek?
Waters signed a reported long-term, high-value deal with Franklin Pickleball in early 2026. She co-designed her signature paddle — the Franklin C45 Aurelius — and the move was positioned as a major new chapter in her career. It was one of the biggest sponsorship transitions in the sport’s history.
What paddle does the current world number one men’s player use?
The JOOLA Perseus Pro IV is still the single most popular model in professional pickleball, used by 10 MLP starters. Among brands, JOOLA sponsors more professionals than any other company across both the men’s and women’s tours combined.
Is Kaitlyn Christian still playing with Proton?
No. She signed with Luzz Pickleball in 2026 and quickly won her first PPA Women’s Singles title using the Luzz Pro2. It was one of the fastest impact stories of any sponsor change on the recent tour.
Why did Federico Staksrud leave Adidas so quickly?
Staksrud and Adidas parted ways after roughly five months, with a mutual statement ending the partnership. The Adidas paddle wasn’t performing to his competitive standards. He rejoined JOOLA and debuted the new Kosmos paddle in March 2026.
