As the Competition Strengthens, Are The Johns Brothers Still Improving?

It is one thing to stay on top. It is another thing to get better while you stay on top. That is what Ben and Collin Johns did in Men’s Doubles in 2022 and 2023. Here are three examples of that:

• Gold medals: In 2022, the Johns brothers won ten gold medals, and in 2023 they won 12. 
• Closest Rival: In 2022, the Johns brothers had three more gold medals than the next-best team, and in 2023 they widened that gap to five golds.
• Silver Medals:  In 2022, the Johns brothers had four silver medals; in 2023, just one.

A deeper way to look at their Championship Sunday improvement is through their games played results in those gold medal matches. For the purpose of an “apples to apples” comparison of playing apparently at full strength, we are excluding the 2023 Takeya Showcase final (silver medal) where Collin played with a sprained ankle and his mobility was obviously impaired.

In 2022, Ben and Collin won 35 games and lost 19 in gold medal matches (65%). Last season they won 35 games and lost 8 in gold medal matches (81%). The same number of games won, but eleven fewer losses. How were they more efficient? Here’s a comparison of the game-by-game results of their 2022 gold medal matches to those of 2023.

2022: In all the first games of their 14 gold medal matches, they won 11 and lost 3. Their Game Two record was 7-7, Game Three was 10-4, and Game Four & Five was 7-5.

2023: In all the first games of their 12 gold medal matches, they won 10 and lost 2. Their Game Two record was 8-4, Game Three was 10-2, and Game Four & Five was 7-0.

A side-by-side comparison:

• Game One:  2022  11-3,  2023  10-2. 
• Game Two:  2022  7-7,  2023  8-4.
• Game Three:   2022  10-4,  2023   10-2.
• Game Four & Five,   2022  7-5,   2023  7-0.

There is a clear pattern here. The Johns brothers usually won the first game in their gold medal matches. Game Two was where their opponents often bounced back, but the Johns brothers tightened up their play in that area. Game Three often reverted to the form of Game One. The results in Game Four and Game Five, when championships were on the line, that is the stat that jumps off the page. In 2022, their games played record late in matches was 7-5. In 2023, the brothers did not lose a Game Four or Five, winning five Game Fours and two Game Fives.

The best Men’s Doubles team in the world, Ben and Collin Johns, got better from 2022 to 2023. They played lock-down pickleball late in matches. I presented this to Collin and asked him about it. Here is his reply: 

I would say the increase in our success this year, despite even stronger competition, is in part, due to that stronger competition. When elite teams attempt to brainstorm to come up with various strategies on how to beat you, they can expose chinks in the armor that you didn’t realize you had. Ben and I are believers in learning from losses or weakness by analyzing our deficiencies, which allows us to practice and fill in the holes. I feel like we owe a thank you to the top teams of the past few years for pushing us to become a better team in a variety of ways. Ben and I are a more complete team because of it and our response to it. I believe the results of the 2023 season highlighted our mindset in this regard.

It will be fascinating to see what happens in 2024!