World No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters has reflected on her early days in the sport of pickleball when her high-intensity style of play was dismissed as a gimmick before it became a distinguishing aspect of the present game.
Waters spoke during an appearance on CBS News Sunday Morning, discussing her climb through the sport and the evolution of pickleball over the previous several years.
The 19-year-old, who first earned national recognition playing alongside her mother Leigh Waters, claimed they were different from the more typical type seen at tournaments.
“I feel like in our local community, we were very welcomed and people were really supporting it, but when you went to tournaments, the commentators, the other players were like, ‘Oh, they’re playing tennis on a pickleball court, and this isn’t the way the game should be played.'”
Waters said criticism from competitors and commentators never altered their approach. “We weren’t really trying to change the game. We just wanted to win, and what we were doing was winning.”
Over time, the style of play, previously criticized, became more and more popular across professional pickleball. “You know, certainly nobody says that anymore. The game is all high paced and violent.
Waters is currently the #1 ranked player in the world and is considered one of the most significant people in the sport’s rapid growth.
At just 19 years old, American star Leigh Waters already feels like she’s lived a lifetime in professional pickleball.
“I feel like sometimes I’ve lived a full life, and I’m only 19,” Waters said in a recent interview on the nbc news channel.
“Because I turned pro at such a young age, I’ve experienced in my pickleball career what a lot of people would experience at 30-something. But I’m 19, and I’ve had almost a 10-year career at this point. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, though,” she concluded.