Pickleball ’ s
Crown Jewel
The 2022 Minto US Open Pickleball Championships Powered by Margaritaville draws record crowd .
By Drew Wathey
As the warming Florida sun began to cascade over this idyllic coastal town , it was the dawn of a major tournament as pickleball ’ s crown jewel got underway .
The 2022 Minto US Open Pickleball Championships Powered by Margaritaville descended upon Naples , Florida , once again and — as it is affectionately called on the Sunshine State ’ s Paradise Coast — the “ biggest pickleball party in the world ” engulfed the East Naples Community Park . It is a park unlike any other , with 64 dedicated courts including the world-famous Zing Zang Championship Court , where nearly 3,000 players from 49 states and 30 countries played in front of 35,000 boisterous spectators . With a record purse of $ 100,000 , this year ’ s event drew participants as young as 8 years old and one player who was born in 1935 .
Steady gaze of the world ’ s top-ranked men ’ s player Ben Johns .
Photo by Scott H . Shook ; Coastal Breeze News
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MAY / JUNE 2022 | MAGAZINE 39