10 Best Pickleball Players: Female Edition

Anna Leigh Waters is an American professional pickleball player. Being a pro player at only twelve years of age makes Anna the youngest professional player in pickleball history. And, of course, one of the greatest players on the PPA tour! Don't let her age fool you. Anna is one of the highest-paid players in pickleball, earning up to $3 million per year.

However, it all makes sense. Anna Leigh Waters grew up playing tennis and soccer. With both parents playing college sports, Anna had to have a lifestyle around sports. Initially partnering with her mom, Anna Leigh now partners in doubles with Anna Bright or Catherine Parenteau while her mom remains a coach and manager.

Catherine Parteneau is another top female player in the pickleball industry. She is a Canadian professional pickleball player ranked number three worldwide for women's singles. Catherine was first introduced to pickleball in 2015 by MSU tennis coach Simone Jardim. Six months after joining pickleball, she competed in the US Open and won the 5.0 mixed bracket to launch her pro career. 

Catherine then married Athena Trouillot and resided in Naples, Florida. If you ever heard a love story in pickleball, it's them. Their journey became the sweetest romance story in professional pickleball. They first met at Michigan State University and played tennis together.

Lea Jansen is known for her fiery on-court aura. She is among the most anticipated female players and the most exciting prospects on the PPA Tour. Born in Spokane, WA, her first competition was at 8. Now, she has become the top-ranked player in every age group in the Pacific Northwest.

Accordingly, Lea Jansen's height is 5'10" or 177 cm. Yes! This tall girl began touring at the beginning of 2021 and has moved to Austin to practice with other pickleball pros. The result? She won some of the biggest tournaments in all three events while taking two PPA gold medals.

Parris Todd recently turned pro in 2023, but her background is much more than it looks. At only five years old, she asked her parents to play tennis. Paris became the top junior tennis player, ranked one regionally and nationally. To this day, she holds over 85+ tennis titles.

During her tennis career, Paris received an opportunity in the fashion industry. She then launched her company and continually stayed on top of trends. Her passion for fashion led her to innovate sportswear and streetwear for young women her age. However, after the pandemic slowed, Paris enjoyed herself on the courts and won over 45 medals until today.

Jorja Johnson is a rising star from Kansas. Luckily, she comes from a family of pickleball stars. At this rate, her journey towards pickleball is much more visible than most other players. Being one of the youngest on the court, she quickly dominated fan hearts with her performance in Major League Pickleball, where she hit multiple walk-off Dreambreaker winners.

Moreover, Jorja Johnson's net worth is around $1.4 million. While it's true that Jorja was influenced by her parents to choose the pickleball career, her natural talent and dedication to the sport made her into what she is today.

Next, we have Anna Bright. Born on October 9, 1999, Anna is a talented pickleball player with unique playing styles. Her playstyle is marked 'aggression'. She always fearlessly takes risks and shots with precise control. Many say that this woman has excellent strategic and calculated gameplay.

You may know Anna Bright as a tennis player to this day. However, she started her sports journey as a pickleball superstar. If we talk about Anna's most significant reasons for her success, we will mention her fast hands, consistency, and quick anticipation.

Vivienne David won a single event at the World Pickleball Championship in 2019. This success led Vivienne to play pickleball full-time in 2020. While Vivienne is a great solo player, she is known for her consistent and dynamic team with Thomas Wilson.

Flashback to Vivienne's childhood. This girl was born in Canada and grew up in Florida before moving to Texas in 2020. Before pickleball, tennis was a large part of Vivienne's childhood. She began playing tennis when she was only eight years old.

Lauren Stratman's ranking in pickleball isn't a joke. Since her debut in 2020, Lauren has become one of the top players in the world and was ranked first as a female player on the APP tour in 2021. 

Accordingly, Lauren was first introduced to pickleball by one of her tennis students in 2018. After finding it fun and challenging, she entered her first pickleball tournament in 2019. Since then, she has won five silver medals and twelve bronze PPA medals.

Next, let's meet the Brazilian-American professional pickleball, Simone Jardim. According to Wikipedia, Jardin was ranked the number one woman player in the world from 2016 to 2020. Talking about her journey into pickleball, this woman played in the Fresno State tennis team before she discovered pickleball.

At first, she started pickleball for fun. However, the 'fun' here became a passion and a career. As a result, she is the only pro open player to have won gold in singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles in all three majors.

Callie Smith entered the pro career in 2019 and quickly inserted herself among the top women athletes in the sport. She was born and raised in Utah and began her journey as a tennis player. Callie's tennis career is full of achievements. She helped her team compete in the PAC 12 tennis conference for three consecutive years.

However, she was then invited to play in a pickleball tournament and was introduced to more individuals who made her more involved. Callie officially began playing on the Pro Tour to become the top female player who quickly dominated the court. She has won medals in almost every tournament she has played in.