7 Reasons Ben Johns Is the Best Pickleball Player in the World
Ben Johns has been the number one mixed doubles player since the PPA Tour began in 2020. A pro breaks down his strengths, his weaknesses, and what you can copy in your own game.
You have probably wondered how Ben Johns wins so many matches without doing anything that looks spectacular.
The answer is that he does not need a highlight shot to beat you.
He has been the number one mixed doubles player in the world every single day since the PPA Tour played its first tournament in February of 2020.
In men's doubles he has only dipped to number two twice, both times behind his own partners because they entered extra events.
This breakdown comes from Zane Navratil Pickleball on YouTube, a multiple time MLP and PPA champion who has beaten Ben in men’s, mixed, and singles.
Zane walks through the strengths, the weaknesses, and a 2K style rating card, and I am pulling out what matters for your game.
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Is Ben Johns an Innovator or an Absorber?
Ben Johns is an absorber. He has never really invented a shot, but he takes another player's innovation and makes it cleaner and more reliable than the person who came up with it.
Kyle Yates was hitting the backhand roll before Ben. JW Johnson brought the backhand flick. Ben saw both work and had them in his bag by his next event.
That is why people kept waiting for the game to pass him by and it never did. He just kept absorbing the game.
The 7 Strengths Behind Ben Johns' Dominance
Here are the seven things that keep Ben at the top, in the order they show up on the court.
- The backhand roll and flick. He owns both shots out of the air.
- Elite dinking. He is the best dinker on the planet.
- Court IQ. His pattern recognition is a level above the field.
- No glaring weakness. His worst skills beat most pros' best skills.
- Partner selection. He always plays with the best available right side player.
- Execution of a simple plan. He tells you what is coming and you still cannot stop it.
- Fast adjustments. Every hole someone finds gets patched before the next event.
How Does the Backhand Roll Work?
The backhand roll is a body and arm shot, not a wrist shot.
Ben drops his body and paddle below the ball and rolls up the back of it out of the air from below net height.
The power and spin come from the legs and shoulder. Most players think there is a ton of wrist in it, and that is the first thing Zane says is usually wrong.
If you want to clean up your own version, start with the hybrid roll and learn the difference between a backhand slice and a two-handed roll.
When the paddles got more textured and powerful, Ben added JW’s flick too.
Now he has a roll he can place down the line and a flick he can clobber straight ahead or crosscourt.
If Ben gets a backhand out of the air, you are in a lot of trouble.
The Dink Media Team
Why Is Ben Johns the Best Dinker Alive?
Ben dinks with precision and patience, and he almost never leaves one high. Most pros give you two or three loose dinks a game, but not Ben.
If your opponent never gives you an attackable ball, you have two choices. You dink forever or you manufacture offense that is not there.
Hardly anyone has the patience to dink forever, so teams press. They speed up a ball that is not high percentage enough, and Ben or his partner cleans it up.
This never shows as an unforced error on the stat sheet. Ben simply takes away your options until you beat yourself.
You can build the same habits with a plan for dink consistency and by earning your attacks with intention.
The Dink Media Team
What Is Court IQ in Pickleball?
Court IQ is your ability to recognize patterns, anticipate the next ball, and know which shots a team can and cannot make consistently.
Ben’s is the best in the men’s game.
It looks like fast hands, but it is really ball knowledge. He has seen the same sequences thousands of times, so he is hardly ever fooled.
If you beat Ben Johns with a shot that works 40% of the time, he is happy to give you that. You can win points that way, but not many full matches.
You can train the same skill with these pickleball IQ tips and by learning the spots worth attacking.
The Dink Media Team
Why Does Having No Weakness Matter So Much?
Most top players are built around one weapon. Ben Johns is built around the absence of a hole.
Anna Leigh Waters has the two-handed backhand, Christian Alshon has the drive and forehand speedup, and Gabe Tardio has his unorthodox style.
Ben’s weaker skills are still better than most pros’ good ones.
There is no single shot that makes a crowd gasp. He picks you apart for 40 minutes, and you leave thinking you were right there when you were not.
The Dink Media Team
How Does Partner Selection Help Ben Johns Win?
Ben has always played with the best available right side player, and that compounds over time.
He has paired with Collin Johns, Matt Wright, and Gabe Tardio in men’s, and Simone Jardim and Anna Leigh Waters in mixed.
Recognizing who the next great player is, and being someone they want to play with, is a real skill.
It means he has never spent years carrying a weaker partner.
If you want better results, study how pros find and keep a partner and the right side rules most players never learn.
Erik Tice
What Are Ben Johns' Weaknesses?
Every time someone finds a hole, Ben patches it quickly. Here are the relative weaknesses Zane points out.
- Hands and speedups. He does not have naturally fast hands, so if his read is off he can be attacked, especially when overextended to his backhand side.
- Forehand off the bounce. Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin swept him at the Mesa Cup by targeting it, but he has since switched to tip-down topspin dinks that hide a speedup.
- Predictability. His plan is simple: get to the kitchen, pin the left side player on the backhand, funnel the ball back to himself, and attack a backhand out of the air.
- Stubbornness. He trusts his percentages so much that he sometimes runs a pattern past the point it is working.
- Motivation. When he is not motivated, he is noticeably less dominant.
The predictability point is worth stealing. Ben beats you with execution, while Gabe Tardio beats you with unpredictability.
To attack a player like this, review how to attack a dink out of the air and how to win a hands battle.
The Dink Media Team
Will Ben Johns Keep Playing Pickleball?
Ben told Zane he does not expect to play pickleball after age 30. He likes unique experiences and says doing the same thing for years gets old.
The evidence is already there.
He held the number one singles ranking for 217 consecutive weeks from February of 2020 through April of 2024, then stopped entering singles events and now sits 29th.
That is not decline. It is an allocation of effort, and the case that he will not win another PPA singles title rests on exactly that.
His move to LA in an historic MLP trade says the same thing about where his attention goes now.
Mental fuel matters at every level, and a six second reset after a bad mistake is a good habit to start today.
Alex E. Weaver
Ben Johns' 2K Style Rating Card
Zane grades Ben across every part of the game, and the numbers tell the story.
- Serve: 85
- Return: 95
- Drives: 95
- Drops: 99
- Dinks: 99
- Speedups: 95
- Hands: 95
- Finishing: 97
- Defense: 97
- Movement and positioning: 95
- Court IQ: 99
- Mental toughness: 90
- Overall: 99
His drops are the gold standard, and his kitchen arrival is probably the best on the men's side. If you want yours to improve, work on the push drop.
Zane calls him the greatest player in the history of the sport, but not the most dominant. That title goes to Anna Leigh Waters.
Erik Tice
What Can You Take From Ben Johns' Game?
Copy the patience first. Build a dink that never pops up and a plan you can run on repeat.
Then fix your weakest shot before you chase a new one. Ben’s edge is not a weapon, it is the absence of an easy target.
For a place to start, run the 12 drills you need in 2026 and check where he sits in the latest men’s doubles power rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the best pickleball player in the world?
Ben Johns is widely considered the greatest player ever. He has been number one in mixed doubles every day since the PPA Tour began in February 2020, and he is still number one in both doubles disciplines.
What is Ben Johns' best shot?
His backhand roll made him famous, but his dinking and drops are rated 99 by Zane Navratil. His real strength is that he has no serious weakness.
Does Ben Johns still play singles?
No, he has largely stopped entering singles events. He held number one for 217 consecutive weeks through April 2024 and now ranks 29th because he plays less.
What is the difference between a roll and a flick in pickleball?
The roll is a body and arm shot that rolls up the back of the ball from below the net. The flick, popularized by JW Johnson, is a more powerful wrist-driven attack made possible by modern textured paddles.
How can I beat a player like Ben Johns?
Attack aggressively, target his backhand when he is overextended, and go behind him when he plays too much of the court. Zane and his partner used this approach to beat him in MLP.
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