Ben Johns blames fashion crisis on partial colorblindness, then shows up in his best outfit to date

Ben Johns walked onto court for mixed doubles at the OpenDoor Pickleball World Championships looking like he got dressed in the dark.

It was so bad that the broadcasters on PickleballTV noticed.

Sarah Ansboury and Michelle McMahon called him out during the post-match interview.

"Ben, I don't think you did your job today with matching Anna Leigh's outfit, so what's going on here?" Ansboury asked.

Johns, Waters and McMahon all laughed.

Johns admitted fault immediately.

"It's entirely my fault," he said.

"She told me what to wear in the morning and I think I packed in the dark. I packed the blue instead of the teal, and somehow, I didn't have a black shirt."

He called it "a catastrophe this morning."

"I take full responsibility," Johns said.

"Blame being color blind and dressing in the dark."

Then Waters interrupted.

"I'm sorry you can't blame your partial color blindness," Waters said.

"He's not actually color blind."

Waters has handled the fashion decisions for the pair all season.

She establishes the color combinations and Johns matches.

So far this season, he has delivered some really nice looks to complement Waters in mixed.

But this look did not complement her at all.

Waters wore a teal skirt and black shirt from Nike.

Johns wore bright blue shorts and a white shirt.

The mismatch was obvious.

His outfit was not bad by itself — it just did not match hers.

WATERS SETS THE STANDARD

Waters has been the fashion director for the mixed doubles partnership all year.

Johns follows her lead.

This system had produced consistently sharp looks throughout the 2025 season.

Until the round of 64 at PPA Worlds.

Johns showed up in blue shorts instead of teal.

He did not have a black shirt.

The broadcasters noticed immediately.

Fans noticed too.

Social media had opinions.

THE COMEBACK

The next day, Johns played singles in the round of 32.

He showed up in one of his best looks from the entire tournament.

Johns wore JOOLA's new green hat.

He paired it with a baby blue shirt.

Teal shorts.

White compression sleeves.

White crew socks.

JOOLA court shoes.

The color combination — blue, teal and green — looked sharp.

Fashion observers praised the styling.

Most players fall short on accessories.

A good outfit is not strictly about matching top and bottom.

Shoes, hat and every accessory have to match.

The easiest way to achieve that is wearing all black or all white accessories.

Johns nailed it by wearing all white accessories and keeping the focus on the color block.

The look earned him a spot on the best-dressed list for the tournament.

THE LEFTY FOREHAND STORY

The fashion drama happened during the same tournament where Johns reintroduced a shot most fans had never seen.

Johns is a right-handed player.

He typically hits a forehand and a two-handed backhand like everyone else.

But in a singles match against Brandon French, he unleashed a series of left-handed forehands.

In a post-match interview, Johns explained that back in his tennis days, he actually preferred two forehands.

He brought that shot into pickleball until it stopped working.

Now it is working again.

Johns said the game has changed.

Equipment has changed.

New balls like the LT Pro 48 used on the PPA Tour have altered the demands of singles play.

Paddles have become more powerful.

The traditional drop-and-approach strategy that Johns used for years is no longer as effective.

"You can't really drop and come in super well with this ball," Johns said.

"You can hit accurate drops, but the ball bounces pretty high and people have a lot of spin on their paddles, so they can just take a drop and do a lot with it, so cat and mouse doesn't really work very well."

Drops remain useful to stay in rallies, he said, but they are no longer a reliable way to build his game.

Since he does not generate much power with his backhand, the left-handed forehand offers an alternative.

Johns began his campaign with an 11-7, 1-11, 11-5 victory over Brandon French on Tuesday.

He exited the singles competition in the round of 32 after losing 8-11, 8-11 to ninth seed Noe Khlif on Wednesday.

Johns said he is unsure how frequently he will compete in singles going forward.

But he made one thing clear.

"When I do play singles, you can expect to see it," Johns said.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR PICKLEBALL

The fashion moment and the lefty forehand share something in common.

Both show a side of Ben Johns that fans rarely see.

On the fashion side, Johns admitted he is not the one in charge.

Waters runs the wardrobe.

When he had to fly solo, he packed the wrong colors.

Then he showed up the next day looking like a pro.

The contrast was stark.

On the court, Johns reached into his old tennis bag and pulled out a shot he had not used in years.

He said the shot stopped working when he changed his playing style.

Now the game has changed again.

So he changed with it.