Dramatic title, but… did he? If you didn’t watch him and Tyra Black play at all this week at PPA Minnesota, here’s a gif that roughly demonstrates what was going on.
he was taking the ENTIRE court
This strategy is, to pros: psychotic, to fans: sexist, and to everyone: surely… unsustainable? But, somehow, someway, Christian not only sustained this level of court coverage, but also his level (and fitness) through the entirety of the tournament, securing him and Tyra Black’s first-ever mixed doubles title. Hayden and I were, unfortunately, their final victims.
Unless something changes due to this result, this was Christian and Tyra’s last tournament together for the foreseeable future after they mutually agreed to split before Minnesota. But, I expect Christian thinks he has unlocked a new meta and that this may become the new norm for his mixed game. At the very least, I expect we will see a much more aggressive version of him in the next few tournaments.
But… Tyra is the perfect partner for this style. Why, you ask? Well… she is the most athletic woman in the game, by FAR. Her unreal foot speed and athleticism make her the perfect complement to the manic playstyle he exhibited this week. She is more athletic than most men on tour. Her athleticism, at times even… breaks the game to an extent.
Now, I won’t argue that Christian broke pickleball this week. But, he demonstrated a level of athleticism, shot-making, and court coverage we have never seen before. And while he did not break pickleball, I would argue that he demonstrated that pickleball is, in fact, breakable.
Before we get into WHY - if you want a Behind the Scenes look at my week in Minnesota, check out my latest vlog!!! Please like, comment, and subscribe if you enjoy it, growing my YouTube channel is a big goal of mine this year (:
Pickleball can be broken
I wasn’t sure what Christian’s height, wingspan, or other athletic statistics were, so I decided to text him. Christian is one of the best athletes in pickleball, probably the best from a holistic athleticism standpoint. He’s in his athletic prime, and he put that on absolutely full display this week, and against me. I lived it! While we didn’t play our best, we could hardly get the ball away from the guy!
6’1.5 ish, 6’1 1/2, 6’2 with shoes
Christian is 6’1 (I round down when evaluating men, but he’s 6’2” with shoes) with a wingspan equal to his height. This surprised me- I would have thought his wingspan was longer than his height. The ratio of wingspan to height is called “ape index”, and so Christian’s would be 1 as they are equal.
If you don’t have any idea where I’m going with this… sorry. I’ll just say it - imagine an NBA player. Someone a few inches taller than Christian. With not only a longer wingspan due to their height, but because they actually have a HIGHER APE INDEX, plus they’re more powerful, more explosive, more agile, and outright faster. Imagine getting the ball away from THAT GUY.
Imagine if Lebron James had Christian’s exact same upbringing in racket sports. The same technique, same wrist flexion, same grips, same exact shots at his disposal. But, he’s taller, bigger, a better athlete in every way, and plays the exact breed of pickleball Christian demonstrated on Sunday. Pickleball would break.
the entire kitchen would be erne-able
The ball simply would not bounce - the kitchen would not exist, lobbing would be obsolete, and a partner, at least in mixed doubles, would become… unnecessary.
You might argue “but Anna, Lebron is so athletic, he broke basketball!” To which I say, FINE! What about Russel Westbrook, Dwayne Wade, Kawhi Leonard, or some other NBA all-star? Okay, but you say, “those guys weren’t Lebron, but they still each broke basketball in their own way! It’s not fair to use them”. To which, I say, alright, fine.
I looked it up, and the Small Forward position is generally considered to be the most athletic position in basketball. AT THE DIVISION 1 LEVEL, the average height for this position is 6’5”-6’7” !!!!!!! Not even the NBA level!!!!!! Their wingspans are also longer than their height (positive ape index). This person is, on average, 5 inches taller than Christian, has a LONGER proportional wingspan, is arguably MORE gifted with hand skills, AND is more likely than not, a better athlete in every way. If this person had the same athletic background as Christian and was the same exact player he is with beefed-up stats, do you really think Tyra (or any woman) would have touched more than 5 balls in the final?
I am taking absolutely NOTHING away from Tyra and Christian in writing this, I just think it’s generally a funny thing to think about, and that we would be foolish to not acknowledge that the lack of diversity in racket sports across all ages is probably what has prevented our game (and tennis) from looking very, very different. And Christian’s performance in Minnesota this week- the pressure, the reach, the exceptional movement, made me realize how thankful I am that he is 6’1” (6’2” with shoes) with a neutral ape index. But don’t worry, I don’t plan on losing to him again when he is playing that psycho- he isn’t game breaking, but it is a strategy to adjust to😊😂
That’s all for this edition folks, it was a great week for me in women’s🥇 and I felt quite dashing in the blue💙 with AL I can’t lie. Appreciate all of you endlessly❤️❤️❤️
XOXO, your internet bestie,
Anna ❤️✨🫶🏽