In a recent episode of Pickleballers, pro player Gabe Tardio discussed the decision in late 2024/early 2025 that changed the trajectory of his career: Partnering with Ben Johns in men’s doubles.

Before the partnership was agreed to, Tardio wasn’t even planning to play PPA Tour events in 2025. He was in negotiations with a pro league in India and planning to play a hybrid schedule that consisted of events overseas and events on the APP Tour in the U.S.

But when Johns approached him about playing together, that all changed. He eventually worked out a deal with the PPA Tour and made his debut alongside Ben Johns at the Mesa Cup in February 2025.

It didn’t go quite as planned at first: They settled for silver in Mesa, falling to Andrei Daescu/Christian Alshon in the final. Tardio admittedly played very tight.

“I was s***ing my f***ing pants,” Tardio said. “I don’t think I’ve ever played worse in my life. … And the next three tournaments I played with him, I played so bad.”

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He said he felt extra pressure to perform alongside the best player in the world, and the fact that the two didn’t know each other very well before playing together also led Tardio to play more hesitant than he was known for.

But as they started to gel and spend more time playing together, Tardio said he felt more comfortable and got back to playing his game.

They haven’t looked back since. In the nearly two years they’ve played together, they’ve won 19 gold medals together and have won more than 95% of their matches.