Anna Leigh Waters Bio
Anna Leigh Waters, born January 26, 2007, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is an American professional pickleball player widely regarded as the most dominant athlete in her sport. She turned professional in 2019 at the age of 12, making her the youngest professional pickleball player in history. By 2025, she had collected 165 gold medals and 38 triple crowns, and by January 2026, that total had grown to 181 gold medals and 39 triple crowns. She is ranked No. 1 in the world in doubles, mixed doubles, and singles by the Professional Pickleball Association, and she lives in Delray Beach, Florida.
Early Life and Background
Anna Leigh Waters was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 2007. When she was young, her family moved to Clinton, North Carolina, where she lived until she was eight years old. In 2015, the family relocated to Delray Beach, Florida, where Anna Leigh became a competitive youth soccer player with ambitions of playing college soccer.
Both of Anna Leigh Waters’ parents were collegiate athletes at the University of South Carolina. Her mother, Leigh Waters, played tennis, and her father played golf. This athletic family background helped shape her early interest in competitive sports and gave her a foundation of discipline and training that would later support her rapid rise in pickleball.
Path to Pickleball
Anna Leigh Waters first picked up pickleball in 2017 at her grandparents’ home in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Her family had evacuated North Carolina for two weeks during Hurricane Irma, and during that stay, her father introduced her to the sport. She later said her father was the one who really showed the family how to play. Within several months, the young Anna Leigh had entered her first tournament and, at age 10, won a gold medal in Women’s Doubles.
Her early progress was striking. By 2019, at age 12, Anna Leigh Waters won her first national title and became the youngest professional pickleball player in history. From that point on, she built a résumé that included more than one hundred tournament wins across doubles, mixed doubles, and singles, with her mother, Leigh Waters, serving as her coach and occasional doubles partner.
Anna Leigh Waters Career
Early Career (2019–2021)
Anna Leigh Waters’ professional career began in 2019, the same year she won her first national title. Her early tournament wins established her as a rising star on the pickleball circuit and drew attention from established coaches and fellow competitors. During these years, she built the foundation that would carry her into the national spotlight.
As she continued to develop, Anna Leigh Waters was coached by her mother, Leigh Waters, a former NCAA Division I tennis player. This coaching relationship helped refine her technique and competitive mindset. The mother-daughter bond on and off the court became a central part of her professional identity.
National Breakthrough (2022–2023)
In 2022, Anna Leigh Waters and her mother played in the first nationally televised pickleball match in history on CBS Sports, at the Skechers Invitational Summer Championship in Los Angeles. The appearance was a milestone moment for both the Waters family and the sport, helping introduce pickleball to a much wider audience.
By 2023, Anna Leigh Waters was being trained by Brandon Oakes and Jack Llewellyn, expanding her coaching team beyond her mother. During this period, she also played exhibition-style matches with several major professional athletes, including swimmer Michael Phelps, actor Jamie Foxx, boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, golfers Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth, and football players Larry Fitzgerald and Danny Wuerffel. These high-profile appearances helped boost her profile well beyond the pickleball community.
Major League Pickleball Era (2024–Present)
Anna Leigh Waters was a number one draft pick in the Major League Pickleball and plays for the New Jersey 5s. The team competition added a new layer to her professional schedule and reinforced her status as one of the most marketable athletes in the sport.
As her career advanced, Anna Leigh Waters signed with Franklin Sports on January 8, 2026, and became the first pickleball athlete to be signed with Nike in a multi-year deal. She is represented by Octagon, and her global sponsorship portfolio reflects her standing as a leading figure in pickleball.
Driving Style and Strengths
Anna Leigh Waters plays with an aggressive style characterized by strength and speed. Her doubles DUPR rating stands at 6.882, a mark that reflects her dominance at the highest level of the sport. She plays right-handed and is known for controlling the pace of rallies through power and quick court coverage.
Notable Events and Milestones
Becoming the youngest professional pickleball player in history at age 12 is among Anna Leigh Waters’ most recognized milestones. Her participation in the first nationally televised pickleball match on CBS Sports, her role as a number one draft pick in Major League Pickleball, and her status as the first pickleball athlete signed by Nike in a multi-year deal each mark a defining chapter in her career.
Anna Leigh Waters Career Wins
Anna Leigh Waters has compiled one of the most decorated résumés in professional pickleball. By January 2026, she had collected 181 gold medals and 39 triple crowns across her career, a total that places her at the top of the sport.
Professional Pickleball Association Highlights
Within the Professional Pickleball Association, Anna Leigh Waters is ranked No. 1 in the world in doubles, mixed doubles, and singles. Her PPA Tour record includes dozens of gold medals and triple crowns earned through consistent high-level performance against the strongest fields in the sport. She has won more than one hundred tournaments in doubles, mixed doubles, and singles combined.
Her earliest PPA-level success came in 2019, when she won her first national title at age 12 and became the youngest professional pickleball player in history. Her most recent gold medals and triple crowns have come in 2025 and into 2026, reflecting her continued dominance at the top of the rankings.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond the PPA Tour, Anna Leigh Waters has represented the New Jersey 5s in Major League Pickleball as a number one draft pick. She has also played exhibition matches with star athletes from swimming, boxing, golf, and football, demonstrating her reach outside the traditional pickleball calendar. Her gold medal in Women’s Doubles at her very first tournament, won at age 10, remains a defining early achievement.
Anna Leigh Waters Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Anna Leigh Waters comes from an athletic family. Both of her parents were collegiate athletes at the University of South Carolina, with her mother playing tennis and her father playing golf. Leigh Waters, a former NCAA Division I tennis player, serves as her coach and occasional doubles partner. Anna Leigh Waters and her mother are the only mother-daughter team in professional pickleball.
Personal Life
Anna Leigh Waters lives in Delray Beach, Florida, where her family relocated in 2015. She shares a close professional and personal bond with her mother, Leigh Waters, who remains a central figure in her training and doubles success. She remains focused on her pickleball career and continues to train and compete at the highest level of the sport.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season was another landmark year for Anna Leigh Waters, as she continued to sit atop the PPA rankings in doubles, mixed doubles, and singles. By the end of the year, she had added to her career totals, reaching 165 gold medals and 38 triple crowns by 2025, with those numbers continuing to grow into 2026.
On the Major League Pickleball side, Anna Leigh Waters competed for the New Jersey 5s and contributed to one of the league’s most closely followed team rosters. Her results across PPA Tour stops and team events reinforced her standing as the most dominant player in the sport and set the stage for further milestones in the seasons ahead.
