In this week's World Pickleball Podcast, Chris Beaumont sits down with one of the game's most analytical and innovative players, Connor Garnett.

Connor's route into professional pickleball is anything but conventional. Before becoming one of the PPA Tour's leading competitors, he worked in investment banking, carefully weighing up the financial realities before deciding to pursue pickleball full-time.

The conversation goes far beyond his playing career.

Connor explains why every professional player is effectively running a small business, how he built the Twoey Nation brand around his trademark two-handed backhand, and why balancing business opportunities with elite performance is one of the sport's biggest modern challenges.

The pair also explore how professional pickleball continues to evolve at remarkable speed, from the rise of young stars such as Tamashiro "Tama" Kaburaki to the tactical arms race that sees new shots constantly appear before opponents find ways to counter them.

Along the way, Connor shares stories from hitting with Novak Djokovic at the US Open, discusses why Asia, Europe and North America are beginning to develop distinct playing styles, and explains why pickleball's different balls could eventually become the equivalent of tennis playing on different surfaces.

• Why Connor left investment banking for professional pickleball
• The business reality of being a modern professional player
• Building the Twoey Nation brand
• The origins of his famous two-handed backhand
• What hitting with Novak Djokovic taught him
• Why junior players are changing the sport
• The tactical evolution of professional pickleball
• How different balls and regions are creating different styles of play
• Why creativity is becoming pickleball's greatest competitive advantage

Whether you're a competitive player, coach or simply fascinated by where the sport is heading, this is an insightful conversation with one of pickleball's sharpest minds.

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