**๐ฌ Netflix Serves Up Smash Hit: New Docuseries “PICKLEBALL: The Underdog Revolution” Set to Premiere This Fall**
**By Netflix Newsroom | July 21, 2025**
In a bold move that signals just how far pickleball has come from quiet courts to global obsession, Netflix has officially announced its latest original docuseries: **”PICKLEBALL: The Underdog Revolution”** โ a gripping, fast-paced, and emotional look at the rise of the worldโs fastest-growing sport. Premiering globally on **October 3, 2025**, this six-part series is set to rally fans from every generation, introducing millions to the underdog sport that became a phenomenon.
๐บ **About the Series**
From backyard beginnings to multi-million-dollar arenas, *PICKLEBALL: The Underdog Revolution* traces the sportโs unlikely journeyโfrom suburban hobby to ESPN primetime. The series dives deep into the lives of its most magnetic stars, including world champions **Ben Johns**, **Anna Leigh Waters**, **Tyson McGuffin**, and **Catherine Parenteau**. Viewers will get rare behind-the-scenes access to their training regimens, personal stories, rivalries, and the pressure of playing at the top of their game.
The series also features legendary athletes from tennis and other sportsโincluding cameos from Venus Williams and Novak Djokovicโwho have recently embraced or invested in pickleball, adding credibility and excitement to its meteoric rise.
๐พ **More Than a Game**
Directed by Emmy-winning documentarian **Lauren Covell**, the series is about more than just paddle battles and trick shots. It explores pickleballโs deep social rootsโhow the sport brings together retirees and teenagers, suburban moms and pro athletes, first-time players and seasoned competitors. From country clubs to community centers, pickleball is not just uniting people; itโs transforming lives.
โWe wanted to tell the story of why this sport has exploded,โ Covell says. โItโs not just funโitโs addictive. And itโs also a reflection of something deeper: people looking for connection, healing, and purpose.โ
๐ฅ **Dramatic Highs, Crushing Lows**
The show doesnโt shy away from the drama. Viewers will witness fierce rivalries and heartbreaking injuries, controversial tournament decisions, and emotional momentsโlike Ben Johns proposing to Anna Leigh Waters after a championship match, which shocked and delighted fans around the globe.
Thereโs also an entire episode dedicated to the **2025 Global Pickleball Championships** in Dubai, where record-breaking crowds and multimillion-dollar sponsorships prove that the sport has officially arrived on the world stage.
๐ **A Global Obsession**
Narrated by actor and pickleball enthusiast **Jason Sudeikis**, the series highlights how the sport has spread across continents. In Japan, players train on rooftop courts. In Brazil, pickleball has become a tool for social development in underprivileged neighborhoods. From Canada to Kenya, paddle and ball have become symbols of a new kind of movementโequal parts athletic and cultural.
๐ฌ **Early Reviews Are In**
Critics and industry insiders who previewed the show are already calling it โNetflixโs next *Drive to Survive*,โ referring to the F1 series that turned auto racing into a cultural juggernaut.
โPickleball may have started as a backyard game,โ says *Rolling Stone* critic Matt Stone, โbut this series proves itโs evolved into something truly cinematic.โ
๐๏ธ **Watch It First**
Netflix is hosting exclusive pre-screening events in New York, Los Angeles, and Austin, where fans will get to meet players, participate in pop-up games, and watch the first episode with cast and crew.
๐ **Mark Your Calendar**
*PICKLEBALL: The Underdog Revolution* launches worldwide on **October 3, 2025** โ only on **Netflix**. Whether youโre a die-hard fan, a curious newbie, or someone whoโs heard the *pop-pop* of the paddle echo through your neighborhood, this series promises a thrilling ride through one of the most unexpected sporting revolutions of our time.
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๐พ **Streaming Soon. Serving Stories. Only on Netflix.**