Hayden Patriquin is one of the most dangerous players on the planet. Everyone knows this. But he was being neutralized by a system that didn't let him be himself.
Federico Staksrud had a problem. His doubles partnership with Hayden Patriquin was stuck in neutral, and the team that had won three straight tournaments the year before was suddenly fighting just to stay relevant.
They were part of the "big four" everyone kept talking about, alongside Ben Johns and Gabe Tardio, Christian Alshon and Andre Daescu, and JW Johnson and CJ Klinger.
But honestly? They were feeling like the fourth wheel at times.
The losses kept piling up. Hayden was getting frustrated. And Federico knew something had to give.
So he made a decision that seemed almost reckless at the time: he'd move to the right side. Full-time. After years of dominating the left, after building his entire game around that position, he was going to learn a completely different role in less than a month and somehow make it work at the highest level of professional pickleball.
Spoiler alert: it worked. And not just worked, it led to a PPA World Championship men's doubles title.
The Slow Death of a Partnership Sometimes the best partnerships need to evolve, even when they've already proven they can win.
Federico and Hayden had that pedigree. Last year, they won three out of three tournaments together with Federico on the left and Hayden on the right. It seemed like the formula was locked in.
But formulas break down... FULL ARTICLE FOUND ON: https://www.thedinkpickleball.com/how-fed-staksruds-right-side-gamble-paid-off-reinvented-a-winning-doubles-team/
