Balls Deep | Pickleball Podcast

Ava Ignatowich and Camila Zilveti
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Pickleball Podcast hosted by Ava Ignatowich and Camila Zilveti

  1. #19 - The DARK TRUTHS Of Pro Pickleball

    FEB 11

    #19 - The DARK TRUTHS Of Pro Pickleball

    Professional pickleball looks electric from the outside — center court lights, sponsorships, prize money, and packed crowds. But behind the highlights and Instagram reels, there’s a side of the pro tour almost no one talks about. In this episode of the Balls Deep Podcast, we go deep into the realities of playing pro pickleball at the highest level. The financial pressure. The constant travel. The ranking anxiety. The politics. The burnout. The gap between perception and reality. The sport is exploding. Contracts are getting bigger. Events are getting louder. But that doesn’t mean the system is simple, fair, or sustainable for every athlete chasing the dream. If you’ve ever considered going pro, wondered how sponsorships really work, or questioned what life on the PPA Tour is actually like, this episode pulls back the curtain. This is the unfiltered side of professional pickleball — the ambition, the sacrifice, and the trade-offs that rarely make the highlight reel.

    43 min
  2. #18 - Is This THE Most Attractive Pro Pickleball Player?!

    FEB 4

    #18 - Is This THE Most Attractive Pro Pickleball Player?!

    In this Balls Deep episode we fully abandon conventional pickleball analysis and lean into culture. We rank every major male professional pickleball player by attractiveness—using a highly specific, internally consistent lens that leads to surprising winners, questionable drops, and rankings that feel both ridiculous and strangely defensible. This isn’t a lazy looks-based list. We debate presence, facial intensity, emotional range during matches, composure between points, broadcast moments, and the subtle visual cues that shape how fans experience players on screen and courtside. Some athletes climb the rankings because they project calm control. Others because they bring chaos, edge, or unmistakable personality. A few fall simply because something feels… off, even if their results are elite. The episode plays out like a tier-list meets film study meets locker-room argument. We disagree. We revisit decisions. We justify placements that probably shouldn’t be justified. And by the end, the list feels inevitable—even if you hate it. If you follow professional pickleball beyond just scorelines, this episode taps directly into the unspoken side of the sport: why certain players dominate highlight reels, social media, and fan attention regardless of ranking. Expect humor, hot takes, and a ranking system that will absolutely get clipped, debated, and sent to group chats.

    34 min
  3. #17 - EXPOSED- The Pickleball Slang No One Ever Explains

    JAN 28

    #17 - EXPOSED- The Pickleball Slang No One Ever Explains

    In this Balls Deep episode, we kick off a pickleball book club and break down a book packed with pickleball slang, terms, and on-court lingo that players hear every game—but rarely get explained clearly. From dinks and bangers to lesser-known pickleball expressions, we translate the language of pickleball and explain what these slang terms actually mean, when to use them, and why they exist. Whether you’re new to pickleball or a regular player who wants to sound more confident on court, this episode helps you understand the most common pickleball slang terms, how players really talk during matches, and how pickleball culture has developed its own vocabulary. We treat this episode like a book club, reacting to the slang in the book, calling out outdated vs modern terms, and sharing real on-court examples from competitive play.

    40 min
  4. #16 - Pickleball Conspiracy Theories

    JAN 21

    #16 - Pickleball Conspiracy Theories

    In this episode of the Balls Deep Podcast, we dive headfirst into the wildest, funniest, and most controversial pickleball conspiracy theories circulating around the sport. From paddle technology myths and ball manipulation rumors to governing body politics, line-call bias, rating inflation, and behind-the-scenes pro tour drama, nothing is off-limits. We break down which pickleball conspiracies are pure internet noise, which ones have a kernel of truth, and why the sport’s rapid growth has created the perfect environment for speculation, paranoia, and hot takes. Whether you’re a casual player, tournament grinder, or deep in the pro pickleball scene, this episode explores how misinformation spreads, why players cling to certain narratives, and what’s actually influencing performance, equipment, and outcomes on court. If you’ve ever blamed your loss on a dead ball, questioned paddle legality, or wondered if pickleball politics are rigged, this episode is for you.

    28 min
  5. BONUS - PPA Palm Springs

    JAN 20 · BONUS

    BONUS - PPA Palm Springs

    Behind the scenes at the PPA Masters—the parts you don’t see on Championship Court. This vlog-style episode follows the real rhythm of a pro pickleball tournament: early mornings, warm-ups, equipment checks, downtime between matches, player routines, and the mental swings that come with high-pressure competition. No highlights reel, no polish—just what tournament week actually looks like for pro pickleball players navigating long days, shifting match schedules, and the grind that happens off camera. If you’re curious how the pros prepare, recover, and stay locked in across a full PPA event, this is the unfiltered view.

    19 min
  6. #15 - Pro Pickleball Biggest HOOKS

    JAN 14

    #15 - Pro Pickleball Biggest HOOKS

    Everyone has been hooked in pickleball. Everyone has hooked someone. And everyone has a list of players they would absolutely like to hook next. In this episode of Balls Deep Podcast, we stop dancing around it and say the quiet part out loud. We name the players who have hooked us, openly admit who we’ve hooked ourselves, and talk honestly about who we’d like to hook in the future. From bad line calls and selective honesty to reputation bias and quiet favoritism, we break down how hooking actually works in real pickleball matches. We dig into why hooking becomes more common as competition increases, how certain players consistently get the benefit of the doubt, and where the line really sits between gamesmanship and straight-up bad sportsmanship. This isn’t a hypothetical discussion — it’s a candid look at the unwritten rules of pickleball, with real examples and real names. If you’ve played pickleball long enough, especially competitively, this episode will feel uncomfortably familiar.

    37 min
  7. #14 - Michael Loyd On Life As A Pro Pickleball Player

    JAN 7

    #14 - Michael Loyd On Life As A Pro Pickleball Player

    In this episode, we dive Balls Deep into professional pickleball player Michael Loyd to dig into the experiences that shaped his career and his life beyond the court. We talk about Michael’s relationship with his girlfriend, how life off the court intersects with life on tour, and the realities of balancing competition, travel, and personal relationships. From there, the conversation takes a sharp turn into Pokémon, unexpected nostalgia, and why competitive personalities are drawn to games far beyond pickleball. The episode includes hot takes — some about pickleball, some about culture, some about absolutely nothing important — but all of it unfiltered. It’s a loose, candid conversation that shows a different side of a pro player you don’t usually hear in interviews.

    56 min
  8. #13 - UNBELIEVABLE Business Opportunities In Pickleball

    12/31/2025

    #13 - UNBELIEVABLE Business Opportunities In Pickleball

    In this episode of the Balls Deep Podcast, we turn pickleball into a business pitch room and go full Shark Tank mode. We pitch pickleball business ideas to each other, break them apart in real time, and decide which ones actually make sense beyond the hype. From product concepts and media ideas to leagues, tech, and monetization plays, we analyze what would realistically work in the pickleball space, what’s already oversaturated, and what sounds good on paper but falls apart under scrutiny. Nothing is protected, everything gets questioned, and every pitch has to survive real pushback. If you’re interested in the business side of pickleball, brand-building, or how ideas actually get evaluated instead of politely nodded through, this episode is a candid look at how pickleball ventures stand up when the gloves come off.

    34 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Pickleball Podcast hosted by Ava Ignatowich and Camila Zilveti

Information

  • Creator
    Ava Ignatowich and Camila Zilveti
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Ava Ignatowich and Camila Zilveti
  • Show Website
    Balls Deep | Pickleball Podcast

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