Why Blaine Hovenier Chose Pickleball Over Investment Banking

Rick's out on court, so Fabian sits down with PPA pro Blaine Hovenier. Blaine played college tennis at UCLA, earned a master's in finance at SMU and was headed for investment banking. Then pickleball happened. He'd played fewer than 10 times when he entered his first tournament and lost first round of qualies, and he got hooked anyway. Blaine walks through turning down the finance path, signing with the PPA, taking Fed and Pablo to three games, and why being a bigger guy is no help when someone 5'3" with fast hands is across the kitchen.

He also explains what clicked practicing next to Ben Johns and names his dream partners, Jack Sock, Dekel and the Kawamotos. He breaks down his signature backhand counter for rec players and shares his comeback timeline after a disc injury. Off the court, there's plenty for the Worlds crowd: a full Dallas food and coffee guide, the Rolex he bought with pickleball money, his coffee-finder app Java Snobz, and his dream of a coffee shop with two pickleball courts.

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Key Takeaways

Tennis to finance to pro. After UCLA tennis and a finance master's, Blaine played his first tournament in 2023 and lost first round of qualies. He passed on a job offer to give pickleball one year, then signed with the PPA in early 2024.

Size isn't an edge at the kitchen. Blaine says bigger players hit diminishing returns and get targeted more. His ideal build is 5'11" to 6'1": enough reach, and still able to move.

Playing next to Ben Johns means letting him cook. As a right-side player, Blaine says he played about 25% of the court in practice with Ben, and life got easy. He also says Max Freeman "killed it" next to Ben this MLP season.

Backhand counter fundamentals. Hit down, not through. Close the paddle face slightly, aim at your opponent's legs so their next ball comes up, and stay planted instead of jumping on speed-ups.

The comeback plan. Blaine hurt a disc in July and is rehabbing daily. He's hoping to return at a Malibu tournament in December or at Masters. He'll be at Worlds in Dallas and may do some commentating.

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Blaine joins the show
01:23 Pickleball Eats & St. Louis smashburgers
02:53 Coffee-first travel
04:13 Building the Java Snobz app
06:16 UCLA tennis to Wall Street plans
10:01 First tournament reality check
12:00 Why size doesn't win
14:40 The perfect pickleball build
15:46 Going all in & signing with the PPA
18:13 Paying the bills as a new pro
20:25 The back injury
21:41 Off-court training: squats over curls
25:15 New faces on tour
26:48 Playing next to Ben Johns
28:37 Comeback plans & dream partners
31:01 What makes a great partner
34:21 Living in the comments
35:32 Worlds plans & a sprint vs. Nico
37:03 Dallas food & coffee guide
41:09 The Rolex & the pro watch chat
44:32 Signature Shot: the backhand counter
48:07 Six Zero, Skechers & a signature shoe?
50:55 Current obsession: coffee
52:58 Jimmy Butler's $50 bubble espresso
55:12 Wrap-up