Who is Anna Leigh Waters? 17-year-old athlete who is likely to become highest paid pickleball player

Anna Leigh Waters is set to become the highest-paid pickleball player 2024, he agent Kelly Wolf said as reported by Forbes. As per her agenc, she is likely to earn more than $3 million this year which is even more than Ben Johns who is ranked No 1 in the Proffessional Pickleball Association (PPA).

On the other hand, Ben Johns, the top-ranked player in the PPA had in the month of May shared with CNBC that he expects to earn over $2.5 million this year through his salary and endorsements.

Speaking of Anna's endorsement and sponsorship deals, she is associated with Fila, Paddletek, Carvana, Lock Laces, Shiseido, Cetaphil among other brands.

In a telephonic interview, Wolf said, “She will earn more than $3 million this year,” further adding, “She has become the face of pickleball and both the PPA Tour [Professional Pickleball Association] and MLP [Major League Pickleball] know that.”

“There’s nobody else out there that has all these deals that she has right now,” she said as quoted by Forbes.

Who is Anna Leigh Waters?

-Waters holds the top ranking in the world for singles, doubles, and mixed doubles in pickleball.

-According to reports, Anna started playing pickleball at a young age after her family relocated from Florida to Pennsylvania due to Hurricane Irma in 2017.

-She was introduced to the sport by her grandfather in his backyard in Pennsylvania.

-At just 11 years old, Anna filled in for her mother, Leigh Waters, during a doubles tournament in Dallas after her partner dropped out

“So my mom asked me to fill in and we played and got silver in the pro tournament, and my mom was like, “Ok, I guess you’re ready to play pro with me,’" Anna said as quoted by Forbes.

-In 2019, she made history as the youngest professional pickleball player.

-Speaking of her education, Anna has been homeschooled since third grade and graduated high school a year early through online classes

-As per the report, she had said that apart from pickleball, she enjoys cooking, baking and hanging out with friends.