New UPA Pro Player Committee President Zane Navratil Admits WPPA ‘Seems More Legit’ as Tough Balancing Act Looms

Days after the World Pickleball Players Association (WPPA) was formed, the United Pickleball Association (UPA) elected seasoned pro and pickleball voice Zane Navratil as the president of its Pro Player Committee.

Navratil, of course, looks like a great and obvious choice. He’s a veteran of the pro circuit, having won titles at both the PPA Tour and MLP. He’s also the team captain of the MLP’s New Jersey 5s, a partner at Paddletek and ProXR Pickleball, and a well-known content creator. In addition, he’s the co-host of The Dink’s flagship podcast PicklePod, where he shares insightful takes on the sport and everything happening in it.

Tasked with being the voice of 167 pros, it’s looking like Navratil will be facing his biggest challenge yet. But it’s a challenge he’s well suited to overcome—and he’s got a goal in mind already: the serve with integrity and balance.

While I didn’t actively seek this position, I take this responsibility seriously and am committed to serving the player community with integrity and balance. Like many others in this growing sport, I wear a lot of hats—professional athlete, team captain of the The New Jersey 5s – Major League Pickleball, partner at 35 Capital (owner of Paddletek and ProXR Pickleball), co-creator of an international clinic platform with Christopher Bouza/Pickleball Pros , YouTube content creator, podcast host with The Dink Pickleball, and ambassador for Stop Alzheimer’s Now. I’m also a proud husband to Jenny and dog dad to Murray and Arlo.

– Zane Navratil, Pickleball Pro, UPA Pro Player Committee President, Pickleball Stakeholder

Zane Navratil Acknowledges World Pickleball Players Association

As he prepares for his newest hat to date, Navratil also acknowledged the WPPA, noting in an X thread that the association “seems more legit” as it works with Sports Solidarity, the same group that helped unionise Major League Baseball back in 2022.

This pronouncement might either be a tacit approval of the WPPA or a mere acknowledgement of its formation. Either way, it will be interesting to see how things play out between the UPA’s Navratil-led Pro Player Committee and the Tina Pisnik-led WPPA.

Unfortunately for Navratil, he will have to deal with a perception problem where some players might view him as pro-UPA rather than pro-players, something the WPPA won’t have to wrestle with. The reason this could be an issue is Navratil’s staunch support of the UPA, which might be miscontrued as bias in favour of the overseer of both the PPA Tour and MLP. This begs the question: Can Navratil truly balance out the league’s interests and those of the players? Or will he just be a puppet of the UPA?

But if there’s a silver lining here, it’s that Navratil’s integrity is beyond reproach, at least as of this moment. But when push comes to shove, which master will he serve: the UPA or the players?

Indeed, these are truly interesting times for the pro circuit.