Anna Leigh Waters: Paddle, Playing Style, and Career

Anna Leigh Waters is the most dominant women's player in professional pickleball. Born in 2007 in Delray Beach, Florida, she began competing professionally at 13 and became the youngest champion in the sport's history before turning 15. As of 2026, she holds the world number one ranking in both women's singles and doubles simultaneously.

What makes her career remarkable is not just the results - it is the margin. She does not simply win; she consistently defeats the best players in the world by scores that suggest a fundamentally different level of play. Her combination of athleticism, technical precision, and composure under pressure at a young age has drawn comparisons to the most dominant junior-to-pro transitions in any sport.

Her mother, Leigh Waters, is also a professional pickleball player. The two have formed one of the most successful mother-daughter partnerships in professional sports history, frequently competing together in doubles and achieving top rankings as a team.

Anna Leigh Waters plays with the Paddletek Tempest Wave Pro - a paddle she has used throughout her rise to the top of the women's game under her Paddletek sponsorship.

The Tempest Wave Pro uses a textured fiberglass face rather than carbon fiber - a less common choice at the pro level, where carbon dominates. Fiberglass faces are softer at contact, producing more dwell time and a more forgiving feel on off-center hits. The trade-off is slightly less raw spin generation compared to carbon friction surfaces.

Paddletek's Smart Response Polymer core is engineered for consistent feel across the hitting surface, which contributes to the paddle's reputation for predictable touch. The standard widebody shape gives a large sweet spot - one reason this paddle translates better to recreational players than many pro setups.

More accessible than most pro paddles. The fiberglass face and widebody shape make this a reasonable choice from 3.0 upward.

Waters plays an all-court game with exceptional athleticism and technical precision. Key traits:

• -Elite footwork and court coverage - reaches balls most players cannot get to
• -Precise placement on both groundstrokes and kitchen shots
• -Strong third shot drop that consistently neutralizes serve returns
• -Composed under pressure - win percentages stay high in close games
• -Effective speed-up game - knows when to attack and executes cleanly
• -Doubles chemistry with Leigh Waters built on years of playing together

Her game at its best looks effortless in a way that obscures how much athleticism and precision is required. She rarely looks rushed, rarely makes unforced errors, and rarely gives opponents balls they can attack.