Double-handedly Changing the Game with RISING star Connor Garnett

 

Rising Tennis Star Makes Waves Pivoting to Pickleball

Former college tennis player Connor Garnett has quickly become a force on the professional pickleball scene with his powerful groundstrokes and aggressive playing style.

As pickleball's popularity has exploded in recent years, talented athletes from other racquet sports have tried their hand at the sport, with mixed results. However, one newcomer who has made an immediate impact is former college tennis standout Connor Garnett. After just 9 months of serious play, Garnett has already reached the finals of several top tournaments.

1. 00:00:00- Introducing pro pickleball player Connor Garnett

   Garnett sits down with pickleball podcaster Jordan Briones to discuss his unconventional path to becoming a professional pickleball player. After playing tennis competitively throughout his youth, Garnett decided on a whim to give pickleball a try earlier this year. Despite initially struggling against more experienced players, Garnett was hooked by the fast-paced play and friendly community. Within just a few months, he would make a stunning pro division finals run.

2. 00:01:40 - College Tennis and the Journey to Pro Pickleball Competition

   Coming from a strong junior and college tennis background, Garnett discussed his credentials which include playing #2-#3 singles in Division 1 at Santa Clara University. After using his final year of NCAA eligibility, Garnett spent an additional year improving his game overseas in England. Though he dabbled in pickelball as a casual player, it wasn’t until this April that Garnett decided to dedicate himself to training full time with an eye on the pro tour.

3. 00:04:38 - First tournament experience

   In July 2022, just a few months after taking up the sport, Garnett jumped right into tournament play by competing in a 4.0 doubles event at a local tournament. Though he didn’t find instant success, the experience gave him confidence to continue improving. His first singles event came shortly after in August at an APP Sacramento stop where he shockingly made the finals after upsetting several accomplished players.

4. 00:09:28 - Developing Deception, and the nuances of pro doubles PB

   One of Garnett’s main focuses is improving the nuances and deception of his doubles play. After relying too heavily on a limited selection of go-to shots early on, Garnett discusses how high-level players quickly picked up on his patterns. By developing better disguise on his speed-up shots and adding more versatility to keep opponents guessing, Garnett hopes to take his doubles game to the next level.

5. 00:11:02 - The extremely quick rise of Connor Garnett

   Podcaster Jordan Briones introduces his initial exposure to Garnett’s eye-catching game through a social media highlight reel. His aggressive baseline style and violent two-handed backhand stood out as unique weapons in a sport dominated by touch and finesse.

6. 00:14:13 - A Winning Strategy in pro singles pickleball

   Analyzing his impressive win over JW Johnson at the 2023 PPA Masters, Garnett credits maintaining an aggressive and proactive mentality after gaining an early lead. By sticking to his strategy of explosively attacking returns to prevent falling into extended cat-and-mouse rallies, Garnett was able to limit Johnson’s opportunities to dictate play. Even as the score tightened, Garnett focused inward on playing shots he wouldn’t regret, rather than playing tentatively not to lose.

7. 00:18:54 - The Importance of a Strong Serve and the Two-Handed Backhand in Pickleball

   In his semifinal loss to Ben Johns, Garnett felt Johns’ ability to cleanly ace him proved the difference. With pickleball strategy constantly evolving, Garnett notes that improving his own serve and return game will be vital to compete with the top players. He also foresees his two-handed backhand technique as increasingly common in the sport thanks to better paddle technology allowing for more spin and power.

8. 00:20:30 - Evolution of Paddle Technology and Two-Handed Backhands in Pickleball

   Garnett elaborates on how paddle technology improvements enable two-handed backhand techniques to be more effective nowadays. With better grip and power generation from modern paddles, Garnett has been able to overcome some previous limitations using a two-hander - particularly from inside the kitchen. Thanks to increased practice implementing the stroke in matches, his unique style is becoming a signature weapon among the pros.

9. 00:27:02 - From Investment Banking to Full-Time Pickleball

   In a massive career shift, Garnett recently left behind a lucrative investment banking job to pursue pickleball professionally full-time. With more time to dedicate to quality training, drilling, and match play, Garnett hopes making the jump just 9 months into playing the sport will accelerate his learning curve amongst elite company on tour. Now that pickleball is filling 95% of his daily schedule, rapid improvements seem likely.

10. 00:29:35 - MLP SUCCESS

    As part of the inaugural Major League Pickleball season, Garnett joined fellow pros Ryler DeHeart, Emily Ackerman and Susannah Barr. Throughout the electric team competition, Garnett’s play helped lead the Chicago Slice to win the Challenger Super Final. Connor enjoyed the intensity and believed the team vibe helped attract new fans.

11. 00:31:52 - The Pros and Cons of Rally Scoring in Pickleball, and Which one is Preferable?

    Comparing traditional pickleball tournament scoring to MLP’s rally scoring, Garnett weighs the pros and cons of each format. While appreciation why some purists prefer traditional rules that put a premium on holding serve, Garnett believes rally scoring amps up excitement and viewer engagement. By increasing the pressure and likelihood of lead changes, Garnett argues rally scoring achieves the goal of showcasing elite talent in a more entertaining way - even if the unfamiliar scoring rubs some traditionalists the wrong way.

12. 00:36:39 - Improving Dinking and Mid Court Resets in Pickleball

    Seeking more consistency connecting his devastating ground stroke power to the finesse shots near the kitchen, Garnett identifies his drop shots, resets and dinking as key areas of refinement. Though comfortable hitting topspin dinks with his forehand, Garnett uses a mix of one and two-handed shots in scramble situations depending on court positioning. By consciously building better habits and strategy into his resets, Garnett aims bring his athleticism to bear with smarter decision making once drawn into a close-range exchange.

13. 00:38:12 - Two-Handed Pickleball Technique and Its Evolution

    Harkening back to paddle and play style limitations from when he first learned tennis and pickleball, Garnett experiments with a two-handed technique to maximize his ability to hit forcefully from anywhere on the court. Seeing other young stars like Anna Leigh Waters emerge utilizing two hands, Garnett is confident his self-taught style developed more from instinct than imitation can stand out as uniquely his own. As more aspiring pros grow up with quality paddles built for spin and power, two-handed play around the net and on returns could become commonplace.

14. 00:42:40 - The Mental Side of Pickleball: Handling Pressure and Playing to Win or Playing to Lose

    Revealing his mindset and mental strategies competing against star players who likely won’t make unforced errors, Garnett focuses internally on sticking to his strengths. By maintaining sound mechanics on his signature shots rather than tightening up or trying to guide the ball, Garnett backs himself to succeed or fail on his own terms. If opponents do eventually prevail, controlling his response before, during, and after points gives Garnett the best mindset to battle pros effectively regardless of score.

15. 00:52:11 - The Tricky Process of Finding Partners in Pro Pickleball

    One of the toughest parts of sustaining success on the pro doubles and mixed doubles circuit is finding and maintaining chemistry with partners, a struggle exacerbated when new on tour. While leaning on new friendships from breaking onto the scene in impressive fashion accelerates partnership opportunities for Garnett, keeping partners happy and scheduling commitments months out remains an inexact science as he looks to climb the ranks this coming year and beyond.

16. 00:59:30 - Closing thoughts and Connor Garnett pickleball camps!

    In closing, Garnett thanks Briones and says he intends to prioritize more film study throughout the season now with more practice hours available post-retiring as an investment banker. With the sport rapidly expanding its reach plus exciting newcomers bringing athleticism rivaling other pro sports, Garnett aims to keep an open, analytical mindset as he guides his development amongst the elites now competing full time on the pro tour, where he hopes to make a splash in singles while building chemistry towards a top-flight doubles pairing. Fans can follow Garnett on his social media platforms posted at ConnorGarnett.com.

Summary

This article profiles the rapid rise of Connor Garnett, a talented former college tennis player who has burst onto the professional pickleball scene after just taking up the sport competitively in April 2022.

Despite struggling at first against more experienced recreational players, Garnett's background as a Division 1 college tennis player at Santa Clara University allowed him to quickly pick up the sport. Just a few months in, he entered his first doubles tournament and soon after made a shocking run to the finals of a pro singles event on the APP tour, beating several top competitors along the way.

Garnett discusses key areas he's focusing on improving, including developing better deception and unpredictability in his doubles game and working on his serve and return of serve. He also talks about adapting his tennis skills, like using a two-handed backhand for more control and power, which he sees becoming a more common technique thanks to paddle technology advancements enabling players to generate more spin and pace.

The article explores Garnett's approach to competing mentally on the pro tour. He stresses not underestimating opponents and maintaining sound mechanics on his shots regardless of the pressure or game situation. Garnett also weighs in on the unique team format of Major League Pickleball's debut season, which despite rally scoring adjustments from classic play, he believes captured fan excitement and spotlighted star talent.

Now pursuing pickleball full-time after leaving his finance career, Garnett looks to accelerate his improvement with more time for quality training and drilling. However, he acknowledges challenges remain like finding chemistry with partners amidst a chaotic pro doubles circuit schedule.

Overall, Garnett's confident self-belief in his budding abilities and analytical, process-focused mindset stand out as much as his flashy shot-making. If able to smooth out rougher edges in his game through dedication of resources and film study, Garnett has the tools and competitive determination to realize his promising potential.

Time Code List

1. 00:00:00- Introducing pro pickleball player Connor Garnett
2. 00:01:40 - College Tennis and the Journey to Pro Pickleball Competition
3. 00:04:38 - First tournament experience
4. 00:09:28 - Developing Deception, and the nuances of pro doubles PB
5. 00:11:02 - The extremely quick rise of Connor Garnett
6. 00:14:13 - A Winning Strategy in pro singles pickleball
7. 00:18:54 - The Importance of a Strong Serve and the Two-Handed Backhand in Pickleball
8. 00:20:30 - Evolution of Paddle Technology and Two-Handed Backhands in Pickleball
9. 00:27:02 - From Investment Banking to Full-Time Pickleball
10. 00:29:35 - MLP SUCCESS
11. 00:31:52 - The Pros and Cons of Rally Scoring in Pickleball, and Which one is Preferable?
12. 00:36:39 - Improving Dinking and Mid Court Resets in Pickleball
13. 00:38:12 - Two-Handed Pickleball Technique and Its Evolution
14. 00:42:40 - The Mental Side of Pickleball: Handling Pressure and Playing to Win or Playing to Lose
15. 00:52:11 - The Tricky Process of Finding Partners in Pro Pickleball
16. 00:59:30 - Closing thoughts and Connor Garnett pickleball camps!