A Pair On and Off the Court: Pro Pickleball Couple Ben and Yana Newell Share Their Love Story and Tips for the Game
The recently married mixed doubles partners open up about how they first met, the joys and challenges of playing together as a couple, their lives on tour, and more.
"The Adventures of Yana and Ben" could be the title of a new sports romcom. Ben and Yana Newell, one of professional pickleball's cutest and most talented couples, regaled podcast host Mary Brascia and listeners with tales from their personal and athletic partnership in a recent episode.
Introduction
The Newells have become fan favorites on the pro tours for both their play — which includes several medals and Ben's claim to fame as one of the few players to defeat the legendary Ben Johns — and their visible chemistry on and off the court. Though still early in their careers, they've packed plenty of great memories, lessons, and even mishaps into their pickleball journey so far.
In an upbeat and humorous conversation with Mary, the pair opened up about how they first met (over paddles and balls, of course), the unique challenges and rewards of playing mixed doubles as a married couple, their lives on tour, their biggest goals in improving their games, and even a hilarious tale involving cross-country mountain biking and mistaken bear sightings.
Through it all, their affection for each other and the sport shone through.
3:03, Introduction
Mary introduces Ben and Yana Newell as "one of the iconic pickleball couples" who are not only talented players but also "two of the nicest, smartest...most talented people on tour." She notes some of their credentials, including medals won and Ben's career highlight of beating the dominant Ben Johns.
5:03, Love Story Unveiled: How Did Yana and Ben Meet?
Ben recounts first seeing Yana play at their local pickleball center, Chicken N Pickle, thinking "this girl is really good." When she later asked if he wanted to play tournaments together, he agreed: "Yeah, that sounds way more fun doing it with someone else than doing it by myself." The couple credits their local friends for initially pushing them to try out the pro tournaments.
7:08, Playing as a Couple: Balancing Love and Pickleball
Yana shares that when they play together, she wants Ben to succeed more than herself: "I really get mad at myself more than I otherwise would." Ben doesn't like negative energy, which then stresses him out too in a "snowball" effect. But after committed training together for months, their teamwork has greatly improved.
9:21, Yana and Ben's Advice to Other Couples
They advise couples to discuss ahead of time things that trigger or upset them, so misinterpretations can be avoided during matches. They give the example of Ben slamming his paddle in frustration over a lost point, which Yana used to take personally. They realized it helps to preemptively address sensitivities.
11:56, Hobbies - Yana
Yana shares her passion for all things Harry Potter, from reading the books multiple times to having Potter-themed decor. She also enjoys suspense novels, psychology books, and posting inspirational stories on Instagram on "Happy Wednesdays" to brighten others' days.
15:16, Hobbies - Ben
Ben identifies as a "huge nerd" who loves coding side projects, playing guitar and video games. He helped develop live scoring mobile apps for pickleball tournaments last year. His 2024 goal is to learn mobile development, which Yana gifted him a computer.
16:08, Yana's Happy Wednesday Stories
Yana explains that her motivational social media posts stemmed from wanting to make people smile more and recognize their talents amid everyday stresses. She may bring "Happy Wednesdays" back given the positive feedback received.
18:38, Tour Traveling - Yana
Asked about fun memories traveling together for tournaments, Yana recalls the great time they and Ben's brother had playing pickleball at Mary's holiday party. She says Ben's twin brother helped coach her to success in a past tournament. His presence gave them hope of convincing him to try pro tournaments, too.
19:21, Mary's Christmas Party
Mary interjects to share her annual tradition of hosting a Christmas party for the pickleball community, saying she loved having the Newells join last year. Yana compliments Mary's immense effort into making it an epic event.
20:01, Tour Travel - Ben
Ben tells a hilarious story of he and Yana attempting to mountain bike during a trip to the Seattle Open. After truggling over rocky terrain, they hear a roaring noise in the woods, scare each other thinking it's a bear, but never find the source.
22:02, Pickleball in Russia
When asked about pickleball's growth in her native Russia, Yana admits she hasn't been home in years. But fellow Russian pro player Irina Tereschenko told her Moscow now has an enthusiastic pickleball club scene, showing the sport's burgeoning international reach.
22:46, Favorite Tour Stop
The Newells instantly name Mary's Los Cabos Open tournament as their favorite pro tour stop for the fun they've had there, including lots of player success and getting to bring Ben's brother. Mary jokes she hopes Chicken N Pickle will open locations near her in California too.
23:47, Pickleball Game: What is Ben and Yana Working On? Tips
Yana shares she's practicing her one-handed backhand flick and general left-side play for their mixed doubles partnership, advising women to drill left-side shots against men to get used to the ball speed. Ben focuses on improving his kitchen game attack skills and pushing his hand speed limits to gain an offensive edge.
26:00, Newlywed Game
In a lighthearted quiz about who best fits different couple superlatives, Ben and Yana reveal that Yana is the better cook and more organized, Ben the superior driver and most often late to practice.
27:00, Karaoke Favorites
The Newells and Mary choose their go-to songs for celebrating a gold medal night out at karaoke, with the couple picking Foo Fighters and Hanson while the host sticks to her classic "Bohemian Rhapsody."
28:14, Outro
Brown closes out thanking the Newells for an enjoyable conversation and thanks the podcast listeners until next time.
Through laughter and honesty, Ben and Yana Newell gave a glimpse into their world on and off the professional pickleball scene. As their careers progress — ideally, together in mixed doubles — fans can likely look forward to even more entertaining "Adventures of Yana and Ben" on court and around the globe in years to come.
Their message resonated with Mary and will surely connect with couples facing similar athletic challenges: even amid occasional disagreements, cherish and communicate openly with your playing partner to focus on success, growth and the underlying joy that brought you together in pickleball.
Time Code List
- 3:03 - Introduction
- 5:03 - Love Story Unveiled: How did Yana and Ben meet?
- 7:08 - Playing as a Couple: Balancing Love and Pickleball
- 9:21 - Yana and Ben’s Advice to other couples
- 11:56 Hobbies - Yana
- 15:16 Hobbies - Ben
- 16:08 - Yana's Happy Wednesday Stories
- 18:38 Tour Traveling Yana
- 19:21 Mary's Christmas Party
- 20:01 Tour Travel Ben
- 22:02 Pickleball In Russia
- 22:46 - Favorite Tour Stop
- 23:47 - P:ickleball Game: What is Ben and Yana are working on? Tips
- 26:00 - Newlywed Game
- 27:00 Karaoke Favorites
- 28:14 - Outro
Ben and Yana's Pickleball Story
Come gather round and let me tell, The tale of Yana and her fella Ben as well! How these two lovebirds came to be, United by their paddle glee.
They met at a Chicken N Pickle joint, Bonding o'er backhands down the point. Yana wowed Ben with all her shots, Soon they were tourney partners, how about that plot!
Travellin' the country, livin' the dream,
Hitkin' and flickin' as a mixed doubles team.
But it ain't always easy playing with your mate,
When emotions heighten in a tournament state.
They weathered clashes with communication the key, Supporting each other to be the best they can be.
And their FAQs from couples having trouble? Discuss those friction points 'fore you burst your bubble!
Off court they make quite a endearin' pair,
Yana's the cook but Ben has better hair!
They roam new cities seeking thrills and fun,
Though mountain biking brought potential bear run!
Was that roar amidst the trees a grizzly or elf? Our duo hustled quick right outta there themselves!
Laughter helps when touring nonstop, Like remembering Chicken N Pickle's first stop.
I hear Yana's working her one-hand back flick, While Ben powers up his kitchen attack slick. As they improve their games the coming years, Fans will enjoy their mixed doubles cheers!
The moral of this charming romance tale, Keep your heads up even when points fail. For this sport will greatly test a marriage, you see, But in Ben and Yana's bond victory is guaranteed!
No comments:
Post a Comment