Anna Leigh Waters started playing pickleball in 2017 when her family evacuated Florida due to Hurricane Irma. During their stay at her grandfather’s home in Pennsylvania, he introduced the family to pickleball in the backyard.
Now at 17, with a background in tennis, Waters has become the leading figure in pickleball. According to her agent, she’s set to become the highest-earning pickleball player, regardless of gender, in 2024
“She will earn more than $3 million this year,” her agent Kelly Wolf at Octagon said Wednesday in a phone interview.
“She has become the face of pickleball and both the PPA Tour [Professional Pickleball Association] and MLP [Major League Pickleball] know that.”
In contrast, Ben Johns, the top-ranked male player in the PPA, shared with CNBC in May that his earnings this year from salary and endorsements will exceed $2.5 million.
Anna Leigh Waters, currently the world No. 1 in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, has secured endorsement and sponsorship deals with brands like Fila (apparel and footwear), Paddletek (pickleball paddles), Carvana (vehicle sales), Lock Laces (elastic shoelaces), Pickleball4America (event organizers including the US Open Pickleball Championships), Shiseido (sun care products), Cetaphil (skincare), Biofreeze (pain relief), and Collectbobbles (bobbleheads).
