UPA terminates contracts of James Ignatowich, Ryan Fu and Vivian Glozman for participating in Japan event

Alex Lantz

Director of Content

Last Edited

Dec 11 2025

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News

The United Pickleball Association has terminated the contracts of pro players James Ignatowich, Ryan Fu and Vivian Glozman after they participated in an event in Japan recently without proper approval from the UPA, according to a news release from the organization.

The UPA (the governing body of the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball) said its contracts with the players are confidential, "however, participating in competitor events is a black-and-white violation of UPA agreements."

Parris Todd, who was a late addition to the trip and filling in for another player who couldn't make it, also participated in the event after initially reaching out for permission, but with "incomplete context."

According to the news release, UPA leaderships is still reviewing the full details and discussions are ongoing regarding Todd's punishment, which could range from a fine to a suspension or termination. The UPA said it would communicate the final outcome once a decision on Todd is made.

"UPA and its leading properties, the PPA Tour and MLP, have put significant resources into building goodwill, branding and name recognition, which, when leveraged by competing organizations, contradicts our efforts to build and grow pro pickleball’s business," the news release said. "The UPA remains fully committed to our players who honor their commitments and to building the brightest future possible for professional pickleball."

The event in question involved several days of clinics and pro exhibition matches organized by the Pickleball Japan Federation in Tokyo’s Ariake Tennis Park. The players were advertised as "PPA Top Pros" in signage and messaging to participants, and the event ended up being different from what UPA officials were told about, according to the organization.

There also was a tournament with more than 1,000 registered players attached to the clinics, and paddle company RPM was a sponsor of the events. RPM is a brand co-founded by Ignatowich earlier this year that also has Fu on its roster of pro players.

In a statement to Pickleball.com, PPA Tour CEO Connor Pardoe explained the decision to terminate the contracts of Ignatowich, Fu and Glozman.

“The advertising for these events prominently featured their statuses as top MLP and PPA players and champions, explicitly using the reputation and likeness we pay for to promote a direct competitor,” Pardoe said. “This is not a gray area and is a clear breach of their contracts.”

Pardoe said Todd's case is different because she asked for and received prior approval to participate in a singular camp overseas, although Fu also claimed in a post on X that the trip had been approved by the UPA back in July.

The UPA maintains that they have no record of Fu himself asking for permission, and that the event Ignatowich pitched earlier this year was different in scope from what it eventually became.

“Parris did proactively reach out in advance and requested permission to conduct a single camp in Asia, and we granted a limited, written waiver for that specific camp only," Pardoe told Pickleball.com. "Our team explicitly told her in writing that if the trip evolved, if new events were added, or if any other pickleball-related activities (exhibitions, play-with-a-pro, clinics tied to other tournaments, etc.) were contemplated, she was required to come back to us for additional approval. The actual itinerary and activities ended up being materially different and broader than what was disclosed and approved. That said, unlike the other three players, Parris did follow protocol by asking first and did not deliberately hide her plans. She at least attempted to do the right thing, even though the final scope far exceeded the waiver she was given.”

Former PPA Tour and MLP player Quang Duong had his contract terminated for a similar violation earlier this year in Vietnam.

Pardoe said the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball are in active negotiations to bring tournaments to Japan, and events like the ones the players participated in hurt those efforts.

“I have personally made two trips to Asia and UPA Chief Strategy Officer Samin Odhwani just returned from Japan this month to work on these partnerships," he said. "Allowing players to represent competing interests in the exact market we are entering would be catastrophic to those negotiations and would render player exclusivity meaningless across the board.”

The terminations will effectively end the playing careers of Ignatowich and Fu on the PPA Tour. Glozman only participated in three PPA Tour events this year -- all in the spring -- as her contract was essentially exclusive to MLP.

The loss of Glozman and Ignatowich will leave the Chicago Slice with two roster spots to fill. The SoCal Hard Eights will also have to add a player to replace Fu for the 2026 season.

Ignatowich will continue serving as CEO and lead engineer of RPM, which currently has two models on the UPA-A Approved Paddles List. Those paddles will remain approved for pro play.

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