Is Pablo Tellez the sport’s “bad boy?”

Pablo Tellez doesn’t have problems with any of the players on tour. He just has an issue with fans.

And Tellez likely isn’t interested in being labeled the “bad boy” of the PPA Tour, but he might be the most likely candidate to fill the spot.

And Tellez isn’t making excuses. He has none.

“I’m just trying to be me,” he said.

Who is he? Well, wildly talented and playing some of the best pickleball on tour, but also an unpredictable wildcard, who has had multiple confrontations with fans, the most recent coming in April at Newport Beach where Tellez was fined for making an obscene hand gesture and then going into the crowd to confront the fan.

“This sport needs a little bit of fire from some people,” said Tellez. “I don’t know if I’m that guy, and I try to be as calm as I can, but I do snap sometimes.”

He did again a few weeks ago, throwing his paddle in frustration and damaging an LED board at the Seattle Open.

And if Tellez isn’t “that guy,” he still might be the player who wears his heart on his sleeve the loudest. He’s not emotional in the same way as Tyson McGuffin, Julian Arnold, or James Ignatowich. Those players are easy to read and fiery.

Tellez is less obvious. “I’m not an extrovert like Tyson is. But I’m not the kind of guy to stay quiet. I’m not backing down from anyone,” he said.

Twice Tellez hasn’t backed down in the face of rowdy crowds. And twice Tellez has known he was making a mistake.

“Obviously there’s a pattern there with me,” he said. “The outside gets to me. I have to be able to not react in a bad way. I can get along with everyone, it’s just that part with the crowd.”

At Newport Beach earlier this season, playing alongside friend Federico Staksrud and against McGuffin and Ignatowich in a second-round match, play was stopped for a warning to fans by referee Don Stanley. The partisan crowd favored McGuffin and Ignatowich which seemed to frustrate Tellez. After the match, which was won by Tellez and Staksrud, Tellez immediately went into the crowd and confronted some spectators. 

“The Pablo story is good for pro pickleball and the PPA,” said PPA player Zane Navratil. “People are drawn to conflict and emotional reactions.”

Tellez seems to be a rarity. A player who loses his temper, but recognizes it’s wrong. There are all sorts of players in all sorts of sports who are known for their emotions more than their play, but how many of them recognized that they had a problem with it?

PPA Tour player Travis Rettenmaier, mentioned Tellez on his most recent podcast, “Tennis Sucks,” saying Tellez might be emotional on the court, but he’s immediately likable. It’s the unique occasion of someone being known as “the bad boy,” but also being very popular in the most positive of ways.

“He’s a great guy,” Rettenmaier said. “He’s being himself.” 

Tour player Dylan Frazier agreed.

“He’s got a little edge and everyone got a glimpse of that,” saidFrazier, who went on to win gold at Newport with partner JW Johnson. “ He’s passionate and some people respond in different ways. I’ve always heard that John McEnroe was the bad boy of tennis, but he was also good for tennis. That’s kind of the same way with Pablo. That’s what people could be saying about him.”

From Colombia, Tellez grew up playing soccer and tennis. His father was a professional soccer player, so Tellez knows what it’s like to be playing and competing in front of rowdy fans. 

“I grew up with that,” he said. “The fields were always packed, but I’ve always had a problem with outsiders criticizing players when there’s no need for it. I try to ignore it as much as I can, and you try to learn from it and improve.”

He’s definitely improving. Tellez isn’t just a random tour player. He has three silvers and a bronze with Staksrud this season and he has a silver and a bronze in singles play as well, making him a consistent winner. And his behavior certainly isn’t affecting Staksrud. 

“We don’t have any of those kinds of conversations,” Staksrud said. “He’s competitive and we’re both trying to improve and get better as a team.”

And Tellez is trying to improve on handling his emotions, too.

“I’m working on not getting out of control,” he said. “It was the right thing for the PPA to fine me. You won’t see that out of me again. I’m learning. It’s good for pickleball to have those fiery matches. But you don’t want it to get dangerous. That could have gotten worse. I’m glad that it stopped. It could have escalated, and you don’t know what might have happened.”