(Reuters) – Pickleball phenom Anna Leigh Waters became the first athlete from her sport to attend the ESPY Awards, marking what she called a “super cool” milestone both for herself and the rapidly growing game.
“It’s amazing for me to be here, but also for the sport that I’m able to be here and represent pickleball,” Waters told Reuters at the annual event that was held on Wednesday to celebrate the best in sports.
I’m the first pickleball athlete to be at the ESPYs, so it’s an honour.”
Waters, 18, has emerged as one of pickleball’s brightest prospects as the sport surges in popularity across the United States and beyond. She believes the game’s accessibility is fuelling its rapid growth.
“Everyone can play it,” she said.
“I say it’s easy to learn, hard to master. Any age, anywhere around the world, people just love to play pickleball. So I think that’s why it’s so popular. Everybody can play with everybody.”
Waters, who turned pro at 12 years old, is on a 69-match winning streak in singles and has won 163 gold medals in her career, making her arguably one of the most dominant athletes in the world.
She said she is on a mission to prove pickleball is more than just a backyard pastime for retirees.
“What we’re trying to show people is that it’s a much younger sport and that it can be very competitive,” she said.
With pickleball’s expansion into mainstream sports culture, Waters is already setting her sights on a bigger stage.
“I hope pickleball will be in the Olympics. A lot of people are saying Australia,” she said, referring to the 2032 Summer Games in Brisbane.
“I’ll be 25, so hopefully I’ll be able to compete. That would be amazing. So, looking forward to Australia for sure.”
As she mingled with some of the biggest names in sports, Waters reflected on pickleball’s meteoric rise.
“It’s definitely blowing up. It is starting to snowball,” she said. “Seeing it rise and being able to rise with it has been an experience I won’t forget.”
Pickleball, which is a hybrid of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong, has exploded in popularity in recent years, experiencing 311% growth over the past three years, with attendance, sponsorships, and revenue all reflecting that remarkable surge.
