Pickleball is nothing new, but there’s a fresh face redefining the game: Anna Leigh Waters. At age 16, she’s ranked number one in the world by the Professional Pickleball Association for singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
@a.l.waters_a1Yep, Waters was ranked the best pickleball player in the world before she got her driver’s license, and has since traded proms and calculus for paddles and sponsorships (her grandmother helps homeschool her). She picked up her first pickleball paddle at age 10 while her family waited out Hurricane Irma’s destruction in Florida, and went on to become the youngest professional pickleball player ever at age 12. Since then, she’s had a hand in the game’s transformation from slow-paced dinks to aggressive twacks. She won gold medals and triple crowns alongside her mom-slash-coach, Leigh Waters.
Reaching the top is only the beginning of Waters’ trajectory, as she’ll take part in the Pickleball U.S. Open Championships this April in Naples, Florida. ‘Til then, we’ll be watching her continued dominance (and practicing our drop spins).
Ready to play? Remember: Mind over matter. “Pickleball is often compared to chess because you must strategically outthink your opponent on every point,” Waters told us.
