Pickleball Players ACCUSE Opponents of Using Illegal Paddles
Paddle controversies drew a lot of attention at the April 2023 PPA Tour Selkirk Red Rock Open in St. George, Utah. Several pro players questioned whether opponents' paddles had delaminated, meaning the face had separated from the core, which can add extra pop and make a paddle non-compliant. This article summarizes what was publicly reported at the time. The accusations were not proven by the original posts, and players named here have denied wrongdoing.
What Happened in Singles
In women's singles at the event, Allyce Jones challenged the paddle of Salome Devidze after losing to her, and Devidze asked for a reciprocal check of Jones's paddle. Later in the event, Lea Jansen, who played Devidze in a semifinal, complained to referees that Devidze's paddle sounded delaminated and that the ball was coming off it with unusual speed. Jansen also made public comments afterwards.
Several days later the PPA ran deflection testing on Devidze's paddle (a test that loads the center of the paddle and measures how much it flexes) and concluded that it was not delaminated and therefore legal. Some paddle-testing writers have since argued that this kind of test may not catch every kind of delamination, such as damage near the edge, so the debate did not fully end there.
Tyson McGuffin and Travis Rettenmaier
In men's singles, Travis Rettenmaier raised concerns publicly about a paddle used by Tyson McGuffin. McGuffin responded publicly that he had changed to a new paddle and had never intended to use an illegal one, and both players expressed respect for each other. Details of any testing of McGuffin's paddles were not formally reported by the PPA at the time of the original coverage.
Why Delamination Matters
Modern thermoformed and foam-supported paddles can feel very powerful when new, and paddle faces and cores can separate with heavy use. A delaminated paddle can feel and sound different (often a lower, duller sound) and may produce more pop. Pro tours have since used on-site and off-site paddle testing, and USA Pickleball and the pro tours have updated their paddle rules several times, so check the current rules and approved-paddle list instead of relying on this 2023 summary.
Conclusion
The 2023 Red Rock Open showed how contentious paddle technology had become at the top of the sport. Official outcomes for some of the challenged paddles were not publicly detailed at the time, and rules and testing procedures have continued to change since.
