Anna Leigh Waters is the most decorated player in women’s pickleball — and she’s still a teenager. The 19-year-old from Florida turned pro at 12, became the youngest world No. 1 in the sport’s history, and has stayed on top while the women’s game got dramatically deeper.
Waters plays a complete, athletic brand of pickleball: elite speed, a two-handed backhand that’s the best on the women’s tour, and a net game that makes her the toughest woman to beat at the kitchen line. This post breaks down her full career, her titles, and what’s next as she enters her 20s.
Anna Leigh Waters grew up in Delray Beach, Florida, in a family that got hooked on pickleball long before it was cool. Her mother, Leigh Waters, was herself a competitive pickleball player — a professional medalist on the tour — and Anna Leigh grew up around courts from age 5.
The Waters family story is central to the sport’s early narrative. Leigh Waters won multiple medals on the pro tour, and when Anna Leigh was 12, mother and daughter began playing doubles together at pro events. In 2019, Anna Leigh became the youngest player ever to turn pro — and promptly won her first PPA women’s singles title before her 13th birthday.
Becoming world No. 1 at 13
The 2020–2021 season was the astonishment. At 13, Waters won the USA Pickleball National Championship in women’s singles and entered the year as the world No. 1 — a ranking she has rarely relinquished since.
There’s a famous story from her early career: she’d finish school lessons on her phone between matches, and opponents in their 30s and 40s would lose to a player doing homework at the changeovers. It’s a detail her fans love, and her opponents now remember it with a wince.
Career highlights: the complete timeline
2019–2021: The child prodigy
2019: Turned pro at 12; won first women’s singles title before turning 13
2020: Won USA Pickleball National Championship (women’s singles)
2021: Reached No. 1 in women’s singles; began dominating the mixed event too
2022–2023: The triple-threat era
2022: Won PPA titles in all three disciplines (singles, women’s doubles with Parenteau, mixed doubles with Johns)
2023: Named PPA Player of the Year (women’s); won 12 PPA titles including the Tour Championship singles
2024–2026: Continued dominance against a deeper field
2024: Held No. 1 nearly all season; added MLP team titles
2025: Won the PPA Masters and Tour Championship; 40+ career PPA titles reached
2026 (as of September): Still No. 1 in women’s singles; extended her streak of consecutive weeks atop the ranking
Title count context
Waters’ 40+ career PPA titles across disciplines makes her the winningest woman in the pro game’s short history. Women’s singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles have all been “hers” for years at a time — something no other woman has done.
Playing style: the athletic template
If Ben Johns defines the cerebral game, Anna Leigh Waters defines the athletic one. Her two-handed backhand is the single most feared shot in women’s pickleball — rock-solid under pressure with the kind of pace adult players struggle to handle.
Shot breakdown
Shot
Style
Why it works
Two-handed backhand
Compact, heavy
The best on the women’s tour; wins rallies from neutral
Dink
Quick, aggressive targets
Attacks the kitchen line before opponents settle
Speed
Elite court coverage
Covers the entire court; hard to hit through her
Transition
Fast to net
Takes the net earlier than most, pressure follows
Serve return
Attack-first
Steps in and converts returns into offense
Her movement is what separates her. Waters doesn’t win by overpowering opponents — she wins by covering more ground and hitting quality shots from defensive positions. Her “kitchen line defense” (the soft game at the net) is generally rated the best in women’s pickleball.
Located in between pickleball courts 3 and 4 at Harry B. Anderson Tennis Center – CC CC0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Rivalry watch: the changing guard
Waters’ main challengers have rotated as the women’s field has grown:
vs. Catherine Parenteau (teammate + rival): Waters and Parenteau are doubles partners AND the two best singles players of the era. Their singles matches in 2025–2026 have been the highest-quality women’s rallies the PPA has seen.
vs. Anna Bright: Bright’s power-first game has pushed Waters into longer rallies. Waters leads the head-to-head but their 2026 PPA finals have been tight.
vs. Lea Jansen: An older, experienced lefty with a huge serve — the kind of matchup that tests Waters’ return game.
Paddle and gear: the ALW line
In 2023, Waters signed with JOOLA — joining Ben Johns as the brand’s flagship talent. Her signature paddle, released in stages, evolved as the sport’s equipment rules tightened around surface texture.
Giveaway
Detail
Core
The JOOLA ALW line uses polypropylene cores
Series
Paddles tuned for her balanced, control-plus-speed game
Retail
$180–$240 range
Waters has been an early adopter of the sport’s newer paddle certifications, which is one more reason she stays ahead: she rarely loses a match to an equipment ruling.
Off-court and business
Waters finished high school through a mix of online schooling and campus study while traveling the tour — one of the more demanding balancing acts in pro sports. She’s vocal about keeping pickleball accessible to kids, often running youth clinics between PPA stops.
Her business footprint includes the JOOLA signature line, a growing social presence (she has one of the largest followings of any pickleball athlete), and early endorsement deals beyond paddles as the sport’s commercial wave rolls on. Off-court income now rivals her prize money.
What’s next for Anna Leigh Waters
At 19, Waters has already achieved what most pros won’t in a career. The big question is longevity: can the youngest-ever No. 1 stay on top for a decade, the way Ben Johns has?
2026 goals: Sweep PPA Masters + Tour Championship women’s singles; defend the mixed title with Johns
Looking ahead: A fourth consecutive year-end No. 1; growing her youth-focused content and clinics
The longer view: Waters has said she wants to be “the best, and for the longest.” Both are live possibilities.
Anna Leigh Waters was born on January 26, 2007, making her 19 years old in 2026. She turned pro at 12 — the youngest professional pickleball player in history — and has been world No. 1 in women’s singles since 2019.
What is Anna Leigh Waters’ net worth?
Anna Leigh Waters’ net worth is estimated at $2–3 million as of 2026, built from PPA prize money, her Joola ALW signature paddle, endorsement deals, and appearance fees. She is the highest-earning woman on the PPA Tour.
How many titles has Anna Leigh Waters won?
Anna Leigh Waters has won 40+ PPA titles across women’s singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. She has held the women’s singles No. 1 ranking essentially continuously since 2019.
Who does Anna Leigh Waters play doubles with?
Anna Leigh Waters plays women’s doubles with Catherine Parenteau and mixed doubles most often with Ben Johns. The Waters-Parenteau partnership has been the dominant women’s doubles team on the PPA Tour for several seasons.
Racquet sports player and writer covering pickleball, padel, tennis, badminton, and squash. Former collegiate tennis player turned recreational pickleball enthusiast. Jackson writes beginner-friendly guides to help new players get on court faster.
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