Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Danni Elle Townsend didn’t plan on becoming a pro pickleball player…
Now she’s the #3 overall pick in MLP, playing for the defending champion Columbus Sliders.
We sat down with Danni LIVE at the Atlanta National Pickleball Club to talk about her journey from Australia to the biggest stage in pickleball—and what it’s actually like stepping into Major League Pickleball as a rookie.
In this episode, we get into:
- How Danni went from casually playing to going pro
- Making the move from Australia to the U.S.
- Getting drafted to the Columbus Sliders
- The pressure of joining a championship team
- What surprised her most about MLP
- Rookie life, team dynamics, and behind-the-scenes moments
- Plus plenty of classic PicklePod chaos
If you want to understand where the next wave of pro talent is coming from—this is the episode.
Be the first to try Zane's new course here: tzpickleball.com
Check out Zane's Pro Pickleball Talk channel on Discord: discord.gg/wzNVADmZb
#Pickleball #PPATour #PickleballPodcast
Leave your voicemail for the PicklePod at (512) 200 - 4299
------------------
Like the ep? Do us a favor: subscribe to our channel and leave a review on Apple or Spotify
-Subscribe to our 'all things pickleball' *free e-newsletter* at thedink.beehiiv.com
instagram.com/thedinkpickleball -Follow us on IG
-Continue the convo in our private FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thedi...
-For everything else we do, visit https://linktr.ee/dinkfam
-Read more about Zane and subscribe to his newsletter at zanenavratilpickleball.com
-Follow Zane on IG @zanenavratilpickleball
#pickleball #pickleballcourts
------------------
0:00 Intro
1:12 Australian roots
4:42 An illustrious table tennis career
9:05 Training for table tennis in Japan
12:59 How does table tennis convert to pickleball
23:04 Pro pickleball decathlon
27:52 Players in Asia living on moneyball tournaments
31:16 Does pickleball require more skill or athleticism?
35:47 Should blowing the ball be legal?
39:33 Danni + Zane challenge the rules
43:19 Known for playing loud and trash-talking
47:42 How Danni deals with pressure
45:10 Working with a coach
1:01:27 Nerding out on Star Wars
Danni Elle Townsend didn’t plan on becoming a pro pickleball player…
Now she’s the #3 overall pick in MLP, playing for the defending champion Columbus Sliders.
We sat down with Danni LIVE at the Atlanta National Pickleball Club to talk about her journey from Australia to the biggest stage in pickleball—and what it’s actually like stepping into Major League Pickleball as a rookie.
In this episode, we get into:
- How Danni went from casually playing to going pro
- Making the move from Australia to the U.S.
- Getting drafted to the Columbus Sliders
- The pressure of joining a championship team
- What surprised her most about MLP
- Rookie life, team dynamics, and behind-the-scenes moments
- Plus plenty of classic PicklePod chaos
If you want to understand where the next wave of pro talent is coming from—this is the episode.
Be the first to try Zane's new course here: tzpickleball.com
Check out Zane's Pro Pickleball Talk channel on Discord: discord.gg/wzNVADmZb
#Pickleball #PPATour #PickleballPodcast
Leave your voicemail for the PicklePod at (512) 200 - 4299
------------------
Like the ep? Do us a favor: subscribe to our channel and leave a review on Apple or Spotify
-Subscribe to our 'all things pickleball' *free e-newsletter* at thedink.beehiiv.com
instagram.com/thedinkpickleball -Follow us on IG
-Continue the convo in our private FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thedi...
-For everything else we do, visit https://linktr.ee/dinkfam
-Read more about Zane and subscribe to his newsletter at zanenavratilpickleball.com
-Follow Zane on IG @zanenavratilpickleball
#pickleball #pickleballcourts
------------------
0:00 Intro
1:12 Australian roots
4:42 An illustrious table tennis career
9:05 Training for table tennis in Japan
12:59 How does table tennis convert to pickleball
23:04 Pro pickleball decathlon
27:52 Players in Asia living on moneyball tournaments
31:16 Does pickleball require more skill or athleticism?
35:47 Should blowing the ball be legal?
39:33 Danni + Zane challenge the rules
43:19 Known for playing loud and trash-talking
47:42 How Danni deals with pressure
45:10 Working with a coach
1:01:27 Nerding out on Star Wars
