The 16-year-old pickleball phenomenon who has beaten the men to become best ... trends now
It is the sport which is taking the country by storm, and it now has a bona fide star to go alongside its new popularity.
At just 16 years old, Anna Leigh Waters has cemented her place as the best pickleball player in the world, amassing an array of sponsorship deals and a six-figure salary in the process.
The formidable athlete is ranked number one in the world in singles, mixed doubles and women's doubles for the sport - which is a fast-paced combination of ping-pong, badminton and tennis.
Pickleball is played on a smaller court than tennis, with players serving and returning a ball with holes in, using slightly bigger and heavier bats than table tennis.
Waters turned professional at just 12 years old, becoming the youngest pro player in the sport. But her journey to sports stardom was far from typical - and despite her growing wealth she insists she is not spending her fortune yet.
The teenager is ranked number one in the world in singles, mixed doubles and women's doubles for the popular sport
Anna Leigh has won countless trophies, many of which with her mom Leigh. The pair first tried pickleball together and were immediately hooked
Waters first picked up a pickleball paddle in 2017 when she was just 10 years old.
Waters and her mom Leigh were staying with her grandfather in Pennsylvania, after having to flee Florida ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irma.
Her grandfather Neil Eichelberger was a huge fan of the game, and convinced his daughter and granddaughter to have a go. They were hooked - and have been playing together ever since.
Leigh was a college tennis player at the University of South Carolina, and the pair have won countless tournaments together, including taking gold in the National Championships in 2019.
They are the only mother-daughter team in the professional game, and have even pioneered their own signature style that relies on power and reflex volleys.
Not only does Leigh coach her daughter, but her mother Ann Eichelberger has homeschooled Waters since third grade.
The 16-year-old's sport superstardom was cemented in December 2022, when she was the number one pick for the 2023 Major League Pickleball draft - ahead of all the male players - joining the New Jersey 5's.
The teenager, who has garnered various sponsorship deals with high-profile brands, says she tries not to spend her money
Waters first picked up a pickleball paddle in 2017 when she was just 10 years old, and went
