In the latest World Pickleball Podcast, Connor Garnett talks investment banking, Twoey Nation, Novak Djokovic, and why professional pickleball keeps rewriting itself faster than players can settle.
Key Takeaways
- Connor Garnett explains how he moved from investment banking into professional pickleball
- The conversation explores the business reality of being a modern pro player
- Garnett discusses Twoey Nation, junior innovation, and how global playing styles are beginning to differ
There are plenty of professional pickleball players who can explain how they hit a shot.
Far fewer can explain why the game itself keeps changing.
That is what makes this week’s World Pickleball Podcast with Connor Garnett such an enjoyable listen.
Over the course of more than 40 minutes, Garnett talks openly about the unlikely journey that took him from investment banking into professional pickleball, but the conversation quickly becomes something much broader than a career story. It becomes an exploration of how elite players think, learn and adapt in a sport that still feels as though it is rewriting itself every few months.
From Investment Banking to Pro Pickleball
Garnett describes how he approached turning professional with the same analytical mindset that had served him in finance. Before leaving investment banking, he calculated what it would take simply to break even as a professional player. Once he realised that was possible, he backed himself.
“I can always come back to investment banking,” he says during the conversation.
That decision has since grown into something much bigger than tournament results.
Today, Garnett sees himself not just as a player but as the owner of a small business, with professional competition remaining “the engine” that drives everything else, from coaching and content creation to his growing 2E Nation brand.
It is an honest discussion about the realities of modern professional pickleball, where success increasingly depends on balancing performance with entrepreneurship.
The Cost of Doing Too Much
Garnett also admits that balance has not always been easy.
Earlier this season, he felt his own results suffered because too much attention had drifted towards projects away from the court. The solution was simple, if not always easy to follow: get back to practising.
That willingness to reflect honestly runs throughout the interview.
There are wonderful stories along the way, including the day he unexpectedly became Novak Djokovic’s hitting partner at the US Open after another player failed to arrive. More revealing, though, is Garnett’s description of what separated Djokovic from everyone else he had practised with: the relentless depth and precision that never seemed to disappear.
Why Pickleball Keeps Rewriting Itself
Perhaps the most fascinating section of the conversation centres on pickleball itself.
Garnett argues that the sport rewards creativity in ways tennis often cannot. New shots appear. Other professionals copy them. Opponents develop answers. Then the cycle starts again.
It is an endless tactical arms race, one that explains why today’s professional game looks so different from only a couple of seasons ago.
That philosophy also shapes the advice he gives to coaches, content creators and aspiring professionals: do not copy somebody else’s path. Find your own strengths, lean into them and build from there.
It is the same thinking that turned his distinctive two-handed backhand into the Twoey Nation brand and continues to influence the way he approaches both competition and business.
A Global Game With Different Versions
The conversation also explores the rise of young players such as Tamashiro “Tama” Kaburaki, why Asia, Europe and North America are beginning to develop distinct playing identities, and whether pickleball’s different balls could eventually become the equivalent of tennis playing on grass, clay and hard courts.
It is thoughtful, honest and refreshingly free from clichés.
If you are interested in where elite pickleball is heading, rather than simply what happened last weekend, this is one worth setting aside some time for.
Listen to the full World Pickleball Podcast with Connor Garnett below (or wherever you get your podcasts)
Further Reading
- Latest pickleball news from around the world
- Tournament coverage and results
- Rankings and player profiles
- Regional pickleball coverage
Chris Beaumont
Founder and Editor-in-ChiefChris Beaumont is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of World Pickleball Magazine. Chris follows the global game closely, reporting on the latest news, developments, stories and tournaments from all five continents. He also hosts the World Pickleball Podcast, interviewing people at…
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