Pickleball’s Unstoppable Teen Queen: Anna Leigh Waters turned professional at age 12. Now, at just 18, she ranks No. 1 in all three categories on the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour — singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. With a winning record of 96% in 578 PPA matches, she is considered the best in the sport. She lives in Boynton Beach, Florida, and continues to dominate national and team events like Major League Pickleball.
A Champion on Every Court
Anna Leigh Waters started playing pickleball at age 10 after learning the game from her grandparents. She first entered a tournament with her mother, Leigh Waters, who gave up her law career to support her daughter’s playing. Anna Leigh became a pro player at age 12. Now in her seventh season, she continues to lead the sport in every division.
This spring, she changed women’s doubles partners from Catherine Parenteau to Anna Bright. Her mixed doubles partner is still Ben Johns, the top male pickleball player in the world.
“That’s definitely a goal. I think you have to think that way just to push yourself. I base a lot of my success on, ‘Am I learning new shots, am I getting better?’ … that type of thing. Not on whether I’m winning more matches, because it’s hard to win more matches than I’m winning now.”-(Anna Leigh Waters)
A Style Built on Speed and Strength
Anna Leigh Waters is known for quick footwork and powerful shots. She has worked hard to add new moves to her game, especially the forehand speed-up.
“My forehand speed-up,”
Waters said when asked about a shot she is working on.
“Yes. That’s when you attack. Now I think it’s one of my more confident shots. I see success in that. It’s a lot of spin. That’s something I was struggling with; I was having trouble with the spin aspect of it. But it’s my mom’s best shot, and she was able to teach it to me very well. It used to be something I wasn’t as comfortable hitting. I think trying to be more aggressive in general is something I’ve been working on. The game is getting faster on the court. You definitely need to have all the shots.”-(Anna Leigh Waters)
Her strength also helps with tough shots.
“I’m sure it does, just like every shot. I feel like I’m hitting some shots now I couldn’t have physically hit when I was younger.”-(Anna Leigh Waters)
From School to the Court
Anna Leigh Waters was homeschooled starting in the third grade.
“I went to school through second grade, and then we moved from North Carolina to Florida. We didn’t know the schools down there. My grandma was a teacher, and my mom asked her if she could come home-school me for a year while we figured out a school to go to. And we liked it so much, and I was playing a ton of sports, so it made sense. I graduated last year at 17.”-(Anna Leigh Waters)
Money, Motivation, and a Love for the Game
Waters has earned over $3 million from tournaments and sponsorships with companies like Carvana, which also gave her a car.
“No, no. Every now and then you have to indulge yourself and buy yourself something as a reward. I think if you buy a lot of smaller things, every couple months, instead of waiting two years to buy something big, I think it makes you happier.”-(Anna Leigh Waters)
“Carvana actually gave me a car — a very nice car. So I didn’t have to buy that for myself.”-(Anna Leigh Waters)
She continues to play because she loves the sport.
“I’ve been playing professional tournaments since I was 11. So I’ve already been playing for seven years. I still love the sport and enjoy playing, so I’m definitely not at the burnout stage yet. Maybe in 10 years I’ll feel that way. As long as I’m enjoying it, I’m trying to keep training hard. It’s something I love to do. And I’m also making money doing it. It’s my job.”-(Anna Leigh Waters)
Tennis? Not Anymore
Though she once played tennis, Waters doesn’t plan to go back.
“It’s hard for me to say. One of my biggest problems in tennis was the serve and I think it would take me more than two months to figure out my serve. But I think if I really took the time, I could play professionally. If I really trained and hit a lot of balls.
When I was young, everyone thought that I could play professionally. We have no idea if that would’ve happened or not, but that’s what people were thinking.”-(Anna Leigh Waters)
Warmups and Young Players
Her warmup includes jogging and dynamic stretching.
“I usually jog around the court a couple of times. And I like to do dynamic stretching. You don’t want to do static stretching before you play because that actually makes you more prone to tearing something. A lot of people think you should stretch before you play, but I like to do more dynamic movement. If it’s going to be a singles match, I’ll also do a couple of sprints.”-(Anna Leigh Waters)
She’s also noticed the sport is getting younger.
“For sure, for sure. When I was going to tournaments when I was 10, 11, 12, I was the only kid at the tournament. And now, the last PPA (pro-am) I played, there were 200 juniors playing in the tournament.”-(Anna Leigh Waters)
What’s Next for the Pickleball Star?
Anna Leigh Waters is still motivated to improve. She hopes pickleball will be part of the Olympics someday.
“I’m hoping the Olympics will someday be a thing and I can go compete and do something there. I think growing the sport is something I also really want to help with. That’s not success on the court as much as off the court.”-(Anna Leigh Waters)
Is this even real?!? Pickleball has given me so much and now I can say I have been on a billboard in TIMES SQUARE NYC! I’m soaking up each and every moment pic.twitter.com/T2mSJ1Slgd
— Anna Leigh Waters (@AnnaLeighWaters) May 30, 2025
News in Brief: Pickleball’s Unstoppable Teen Queen
Anna Leigh Waters, 18, is the top pickleball player in all PPA divisions. She started at 12 and now competes in singles, doubles, and team events. With strong skills and big goals, she hopes to keep growing the sport and dreams of competing in the Olympics one day.
ALSO READ: Anna Leigh Waters Shatters Records: Is Pickleball’s Teen Queen Outshining Serena’s Legacy?