Ben Johns Unleashes a Secret Lefty Forehand at Pickleball Worlds

Ben Johns pulled a shot out of his past that most fans had never seen him use.

At the Opendoor Pickleball World Championships this week, the American star unleashed a left-handed forehand during his men's singles match.

For anyone who started watching pickleball in the last few years, it looked like a brand new weapon.

But Johns has actually used this shot before — back in 2016 and 2017, when he first played singles.

He explained the history of the shot in a post-match interview.

“Back in the day when people played singles, it was pretty much all drives,” Johns said.

“Then, I started dropping and coming in — the cat and mouse style as we know it today — and that required me to just hit backhand slices, basically backhand drops.”

“So I stopped using my left hand and I stopped really hitting a bunch of passing shots, as I would just drop and come in… that’s kind of the style I just continued to play for singles after that.”

The shot disappeared from his game for years.

Now it is back.

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

He then lost in the Round of 32, falling 8-11, 8-11 to ninth seed Noe Khlif on Wednesday.

But even in that loss, the left-handed forehand was part of his game plan.

WHY THE SHOT RETURNED

The sport of pickleball has changed significantly over the past decade.

Equipment has evolved rapidly.

The PPA Tour now uses balls such as the LT Pro 48, which behave differently than older models.

Paddles have also become more powerful, with new materials and surface textures that generate more spin.

These changes have altered the demands of singles play.

Johns explained that his old strategy — dropping the ball softly and charging the net — is no longer as reliable.

“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.”

He added that drops still help him stay in rallies, but they are no longer a dependable way to build points.

Since he does not generate much power with his backhand, the left-handed forehand offers a different option.

It allows him to attack from a side of his body that opponents rarely see him use.

THE TENNIS CONNECTION

According to a report from The Dink Pickleball, Johns originally developed the two-forehand style during his tennis days.

In tennis, he preferred having two forehands instead of a traditional forehand and backhand.

He brought that approach into pickleball when he started playing singles.

It worked for him in the early years.

Then he shifted to the drop-and-approach style and the lefty forehand faded out of use.

Now, with the game evolving again, he is reaching back into that old bag of tricks.

WHAT JOHNS SAID ABOUT THE FUTURE

Johns is not sure how often he will compete in singles going forward.

But he made one thing clear: the left-handed forehand is not going away.

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

That statement suggests the shot is now a permanent part of his singles game, not just an experiment.

FANS AND MEDIA REACTION

The shot generated immediate buzz among pickleball media and fans.

Pickleball.com noted that the lefty forehand caught the attention of broadcasters and commentators.

The Dink Pickleball described it as a “surprise” and noted that Johns “busted out a swing most of you never even knew he had.”

Times Now covered the story under the headline “Ben Johns' Forgotten Weapon,” framing it as a tactical shift driven by changes in equipment and playing conditions.

A SEPARATE FASHION SIDENOTE

Earlier in the same tournament, Johns made news for a different reason — a wardrobe mix-up.

During a mixed doubles match with Anna Leigh Waters, the pair’s outfits did not match.

Waters wore a teal skirt and black shirt from Nike.

Johns wore bright blue shorts and a white shirt.

Broadcasters Sarah Ansboury and Michelle McMahon noticed the mismatch and asked about it during a 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 at the question.

“It’s entirely my fault,” Johns said.