JW Johnson came into the PPA Tour Pickleball World Championships as the No. 1 rated DUPR men's doubles player in the world. He left with the biggest men's doubles title of the year.

Johnson's DUPR rating climbed to 7.047 in October, putting him 0.015 ahead of Ben Johns (7.032). He also arrived with a new paddle. After testing five brands in competition this spring, and many others in practice, he settled on the elongated Paddletek Tempest Veyra, a paddle he played with for months before its release.

A few weeks later in Farmers Branch, Texas, Johnson and 15-year-old Tama Shimabukuro came back from two games down to win Worlds.

Here's how he got to No. 1, how the final played out, and what he likes about his new paddle.

How JW Johnson's DUPR rating reached No. 1

Johnson moved past Johns in October, reaching 7.047 on the DUPR Top Rankings. The gap was small, but at the top of the sport, every thousandth of a point matters.

It's easy to forget how close these two have been. Johnson has sat right behind Johns in the DUPR ratings for some time, often separated by a fraction of a point.

With the top of the leaderboard that tight, a handful of strong results can flip the order. Johnson's results this fall did that.

A DUPR rating measures how a player performs against the expected outcome of each match, based on the ratings of everyone on court.

As explained in How Your DUPR Rating Is Calculated, DUPR considers performance against expectation, match type, recency, and match volume.

At Johnson's level, nearly every opponent is an elite pro. To climb past Johns, he needed to consistently outperform expectations against some of the strongest players in the sport.

His reaction was understated.

"When I saw it posted, I was like, 'Oh wow, that's really exciting actually,'" he told The Pickleball Weekly.

He also knows the harder part comes next.

"I feel like that's the goal with a lot of people, is holding the top spot for sure."

The Worlds final: down two games, then three straight

The 2026 Pickleball World Championships took place at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, Texas. With 3,000 world ranking points on the line, Worlds was one of the most significant tournaments on the PPA Tour calendar.

Johnson and Shimabukuro came in as the No. 4 seeds. In the final, they faced Christian Alshon and Andrei Daescu, who had knocked out top seeds Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio in the semifinals.

Alshon and Daescu took the first two games 11-5, 11-5. Johnson and Shimabukuro then won the next three:

Game 3: 11-4 Game 4: 11-8 Game 5: 11-4

Johnson played the final with the elongated Tempest Veyra.

It was the pair's first title together and Johnson's 14th PPA Tour men's doubles title. He now has 26 PPA Tour titles across all three divisions.

A year earlier, Shimabukuro was at Worlds playing on the Major League Pickleball Junior All-Star team.

"This is crazy, I never thought I'd be here the next year winning this event," Shimabukuro said. "JW went crazy at the end of that match, and I think I lost my voice hyping him up."

The partnership is still new. Shimabukuro lives in Hawaii and Johnson lives in Delray Beach, Florida.

When they get together, they sometimes drill twice a day for a full week. Johnson has said spending time together off the court builds the chemistry they rely on under pressure.

What the data showed before the final

The October 28 DUPR rankings had Johnson at No. 1 before Worlds began. The final then tested that number in one of the biggest matches of the season.

Johnson and Shimabukuro won in five games over the team that had just beaten the top seeds.

That result followed another big one this fall. At the PPA Tour Pickleball National Championships, Johnson and his sister Jorja beat Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters in mixed doubles.

DUPR doesn't factor in seeding, reputation, or name recognition. It looks at who a player faced, the actual score, and how that performance compares with expectations.

For a deeper explanation, see How DUPR Works.

JW Johnson by the numbers

Across all three divisions, those numbers reflect Johnson's impressive body of professional results.

His DUPR rating draws on eligible match performances, evaluated against the strength of his opponents and the results the algorithm expected.

JW Johnson's paddle: the Paddletek Tempest Veyra

About a year ago, JW and Jorja became paddle free agents and spent months testing options.

JW competed with five brands: JOOLA, Franklin, Selkirk, PIKKL, and Paddletek. Jorja tried three: JOOLA, Franklin, and PIKKL.

Both siblings eventually chose the same unreleased, blacked-out PIKKL model.

Paddletek acquired PIKKL in July 2026, and the paddle is now launching as the Paddletek Tempest Veyra.

JW plays the elongated shape. Jorja uses the widebody straight out of the box, without an overgrip or weighted tape.

The Johnsons have said they appreciate the paddle's lower pop and control on soft shots while still getting enough power on drives and overheads.

Patent-pending dampening rods along the edges add perimeter weight to improve stability and expand the effective sweet spot, while its foam construction provides a smoother feel off the face.

That balance reflects something many players look for when choosing between power and control pickleball paddles.

Since the switch, Jorja has won an MLP title with the New Jersey 5s, the siblings have beaten Johns and Waters at Nationals, and JW has reached the No. 1 DUPR men's doubles ranking.

Johnson's elongated Tempest Veyra also comes in at under $180, making it an interesting option for players who want a performance-oriented paddle without spending $250 or more.

Of course, what works for the world's top players won't necessarily work for everyone. If you're comparing options, check out our top 10 pickleball paddle recommendations, backed by independent reviewer John Kew's testing data.

What's next for JW Johnson

Johnson has said he also wants to reach No. 1 in the World Pickleball Rankings, and a Worlds title worth 3,000 points moves him closer.

He has also said he would like to represent the United States if pickleball is ever added to the Olympics.

For now, his goal is holding the top DUPR spot against Johns, Alshon, Daescu, and a growing group of young professionals, including his own partner.

See where you stand

JW Johnson's rating is built the same way as every other player's: one match at a time, measured against expectation.

Whether you're competing at the professional level or trying to reach 4.0 at your local club, your DUPR reflects how you perform against the competition.

Check the latest DUPR Top Rankings to see who's leading the world, or read What's My DUPR? Check Your Rating and What Each Level Means to better understand your own number.

Frequently asked questions

What is JW Johnson's DUPR rating?

JW Johnson reached a 7.047 DUPR men's doubles rating in October 2026, becoming the No. 1 rated men's doubles player in the world as of October 28. He narrowly passed Ben Johns, who held a 7.032 rating at the time.

Is JW Johnson the No. 1 pickleball player in the world?

Johnson reached No. 1 in the DUPR men's doubles rankings in October 2026. DUPR ranks players based on match performance against expectations, while other professional ranking systems may use tournament points.

Who did JW Johnson play with at the 2026 Pickleball World Championships?

Johnson partnered with 15-year-old Tama Shimabukuro. The pair defeated Christian Alshon and Andrei Daescu in the men's doubles final, overcoming a two-game deficit to win 5-11, 5-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-4.

What paddle does JW Johnson use?

Johnson used the Paddletek Tempest Veyra Elongated at the 2026 Pickleball World Championships. The paddle combines control and a softer feel with enough power for aggressive drives and overheads.

How many PPA Tour titles has JW Johnson won?

Following the 2026 Pickleball World Championships, Johnson was credited with 26 PPA Tour titles across singles, men's doubles, and mixed doubles, including 14 men's doubles championships.

How can I compare my DUPR rating to JW Johnson's?

DUPR uses the same 2.000–8.000 rating scale for recreational and professional players. You can check your own singles and doubles ratings through your DUPR profile and compare them with the world's top competitors on the DUPR rankings leaderboard.

‍