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Ben Johns, the most decorated men's professional pickleball player in the sport's history (and the highest compensated), might be in a bit of a slump.
Or the rest of the professional landscape is starting to catch up to him.
Johns has mostly played men's doubles this year with his brother, Collin Johns, except at PPA Sacramento, which Collin skipped. They have won five gold medals on the year, all in the first four months of 2024.
Since the Veolia PPA LA Open, the Johns brothers have not won a tournament together. Here are their finishes in the last two months: 4th, 4th, 4th, and 5th.
- First four months: 5 golds, average finish: 4.6
- Last two months: 0 golds, average finish: 4.6
#1 Pickleball Pro Makes over $2.5 million per year
Ben Johns recently told CNBC what his expected pickleball income will be in 2024. The figure may surprise you.
It's not all bad for Ben, as "Matty Pickles" highlights in this graphic below. In mixed doubles – where he plays with the top women's player in the world, Anna Leigh Waters – Ben Johns is winning at a ridiculous 96 percent clip.
However, in men's singles and particularly in doubles, Ben has hit the skids of late, relatively speaking of course.
As you can see, from 2021-23, Ben Johns dominated the men's double scene, where he primarily played with his brother. In 2021, Ben win's win percentage in men's doubles stood at 90 percent. It's down to 80 percent thus far in 2024.
Has the game passed him by? Of course not, but it does indicate that the pool of talented players is growing quickly and the gap between the best of the best and the field is shrinking considerably.
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