E39: Behind the Paddle: Inside Pro Pickleball with the PPA
This week on City Limitless®, we’re looking back at the incredible energy that filled Arizona Athletic Grounds as the PPA Tour returned to Mesa for the Carvana Mesa Cup. Host Ashley Stwertnik sat down courtside with Brian Clark, chief tour officer for the PPA, along with PPA Pro Player Caden Nemoff to talk about the explosive growth of pickleball, what it takes to run a professional tour stop and why Mesa continues to be one of the tour’s favorite destinations.
“Mesa has become a home run for us. The community shows up, the venue delivers and the players love it.” - Brian Clark
If you were anywhere near Arizona Athletic Grounds during the tournament, you could feel it immediately. The buzz of the crowd, paddles popping across dozens of courts and fans lining up for autographs made it clear this wasn’t just a tournament. It was a full-blown sports experience.
And the numbers from Mesa prove it. The Carvana Mesa Cup set multiple PPA milestones including 3,000+ average daily attendance and 21,019 total attendees, a 19% increase from last year’s Mesa Cup. Ticket sales also reached a new all-time single event record, up 65%, showing just how quickly the sport continues to grow. Beyond the courts, the event generated 58 million social media impressions and 21 million YouTube views, bringing the excitement from Mesa to pickleball fans across the country and around the world.
For Brian Clark, those numbers are exciting, and they’re also the result of a carefully orchestrated team effort. As chief tour officer, Brian leads a traveling operations team of roughly 40 people responsible for building each PPA stop from the ground up. From court layout and venue design to fan experiences and player logistics, every detail is designed to create an environment that works for spectators, television audiences and the athletes competing.
Brian explains that Mesa makes that job easier. Between the weather, the layout at Arizona Athletic Grounds and the strong partnership with the local team, the venue has quickly become a reliable home run for the tour. Add in a community that consistently shows up to support the event and it becomes clear why the PPA keeps coming back.
A major part of pickleball’s rapid rise is accessibility. Unlike many traditional racquet sports, players can step onto a pickleball court and rally almost immediately. That instant engagement is a huge reason the sport continues to attract players of all ages. The PPA embraces that spirit with its mantra: play where the pros play. Fans can watch world class athletes compete and then step onto nearby courts to experience the sport themselves.
PPA Pro Caden Nemoff knows exactly how powerful that accessibility can be. Originally a baseball player, Caden discovered pickleball through his dad and eventually moved to Arizona in 2022 to pursue coaching and competition. By 2023, he had shifted his focus fully to playing on tour, and in 2025 he officially signed with the PPA. Mesa was especially meaningful for him because it felt like home court advantage.
Months of traveling for tournaments and competing in front of familiar faces and his supporters made the experience even more special. Local fans, students he has coached, and friends from the community were all in the stands cheering him on, creating what he described as an electric atmosphere. Moments like that are exactly what the PPA hopes to create at every stop.
From record breaking attendance to rising professional talent, the Carvana Mesa Cup proved once again that Mesa is a powerhouse stop on the pickleball calendar.
Watch the full conversation at City Limitless® on YouTube and go behind the scenes of one of the fastest growing sports in the world! You won’t want to miss it!