Jake Johnson trades tennis for pickleball in Apple TV's The Dink

It's perhaps not an "epidemic sweeping the nation" as Ed Harris' character likes to phrase it, but there is certainly a change happening in courts around the world. While tennis used to dominate grass, hard, and clay environments, we are seeing the rise of new options, including padel and even pickleball.

This rise of new options is essentially the entire premise behind the upcoming Apple TV movie, The Dink, as it follows a former tennis pro, who after picking up a wrist injury, is prescribed with playing pickleball to get back into fighting shape. While he initially fights back against this, regarding the sport as inferior to tennis, he soon ends up loving it, and ultimately finds himself wrapped up in an intense battle where the entire future of his family's country club is on the line.

With Jake Johnson in the leading role of Dusty Boyd, The Dink features a rather stacked cast, including the aforementioned Harris but also Mary Steenburgen, Andy Roddick, Patton Oswalt, Chloe Fineman, Chris Parnell, Aaron Chen, and even Ben Stiller.

The Dink was also written by Workaholics' Sean Clements, is directed by Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar's Josh Greenbaum, and is produced by Stiller too - so yes, there's plenty of comedy talent behind it.

With the premiere planned for Apple TV on July 24, you can see a trailer for The Dink below, as well as the official synopsis.

"Washed up former tennis prodigy Dusty Boyd (Jake Johnson) has been reduced to coaching unruly children at his father Chuck's (Ed Harris) suburban country club. Desperate for his father's approval, Dusty blindly supports Chuck's vendetta against the new craze taking over the club: pickleball. But when Dusty reaggravates an old injury, taking away his ability to play tennis, he resorts to the unthinkable in the name of rehab. He not only tries pickleball, but, thanks in part to his enchanting new partner, Candace (Mary Steenburgen), he finds himself actually enjoying it. Torn between two worlds, Dusty is forced to finally face the ghosts of his past athletic failures, including his childhood nemesis, Andy Roddick (Andy Roddick). Ultimately, Dusty is drawn into a desperate battle for the future of the club, his father's affection and his very identity."