Pickleball has become a wildly attractive rising phenomenon so we're taking a closer look at the top pickleball players to know. It's estimated over 36.5 million players of all skill levels compete in the United States yearly. That rising attention has been great for the professional game as well. Top players like Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters are quickly becoming household names and taking the sport's popularity to another level. Scroll social media and you'll find some of Hollywood's top celebrities playing pickleball, and even owning professional pickleball teams. Today, ONE37pm is looking at the top pickleball players to know.
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The Top 20 Pickleball Players to Know
Method For Ranking
We based our analysis off of various criteria, including ranking points, championships and social media popularity. Players are given rankings points based on how deep they go in tournaments, including on pro circuits like the PPA Tour. Meanwhile, the rising interest in the sport has brought more awareness to players' social media.
The Top 10 Men's Pickleball Players
1. Ben Johns
Ben Johns is the number one ranked player on the PPA Tour, and also holds the same standing in the World Pickleball Rankings. The 24-year-old recently signed a significant contract with Joola Pickleball as his main paddle sponsor.
Johns has won over 80 titles on the PPA Tour, and is known as one of the biggest ambassadors for the sport.
2. JW Johnson
Johnson is one of the brightest young male players in pickleball at the age of 20. He regularly features in the latter rounds of tournaments both in singles and doubles, and he holds various titles to his name.
Johnson won his second APP triple crown back in April 0f 2022, which includes winning titles in men's singles, mixed doubles and men's doubles.
3. Zane Navratil
Navratil is one of the top male pickleball players each years and holds over 80 titles and 100 medals in his career. The 28-year-old is known for his impressive speed and court coverage, which makes him a frustrating player to compete against.
4. Tyson McGuffin
McGuffin is a standout player at the professional level and boasts four national championships. After years of coaching tennis, McGuffin has become one of the biggest names in pickleball, actually being dubbed the "most electrifying man in sports". He's certainly one of the most outspoken players and always plays with passion on the court.
5. Jay Devilliers
Devilliers is known as 'The Flying Frenchman' due to his exciting style of play and French charm. The 29-year-old is a well rounded athlete that played soccer, tennis and other sports growing up.
Devilliers is ranked top 5 in the world and has had some epic matches against Johns and the rest of the sport's elite.
6. Riley Newman
Newman is a tremendous athlete and played Division 1 basketball and tennis at the University of Washington. The 29-year-old has since put all his efforts into pickleball and he excels both in singles and doubles.
Newman and his sister, Lindsey, often play together in mixed doubles events.
7. AJ Koller
Koller is one of the biggest names currently playing in Major League Pickleball in its second season. The 34-year-old boasts a tremendous DUPR doubles rating of 6.58.
8. Dylan Frazier
Like Koller, Frazier is a huge asset for Major League Pickleball, competing in the league since its inception. The 21-year-old continues to rise up the world rankings and is quickly becoming one of the younger talents in the sport.
9. Collin Johns
Collin Johns is a smart doubles player that has formed an incredible partnership with his brother Ben. The Johns Brothers have won many major tournaments, and they've easily separated themselves as the preeminent men's doubles pairing.
The Top 10 Women's Pickleball Players
1. Anna Leigh Waters
Waters is the face of women's pickleball at this stage and she's only 17 years. The daughter of Leigh Waters, Anna Leigh is an elite talent in several sports, including soccer and tennis. She's become nearly unbeatable with gender doubles partner Catherine Parenteau and mixed doubles partner Ben Johns.
2. Lea Jansen
30-year-old Lea Jansen is one of the top ranked females in the world. The Washington native only turned pro in 2021 and she's showing that she can compete with the game's best week in and week out.
3. Catherine Parenteau
The 29-year-old Parenteau has been playing pro pickleball since 2016 and is known for being one of the most complete players. Parenteau and Anna Leigh Waters are the top women's doubles team in the sport.
4. Jorja Johnson
Jorja Johnson is only 17 years old and continues to impress as a teenager. Her brother is JW Johnson, who is an elite men's player in his own right.
Jorja plays Major League Pickleball as well as PPA, and she's already collected 19 pro medals at a young age.
5. Jessie Irvine
The 34-year-old is known for her athleticism and often finds huge success playing mixed and gender doubles. Irvine previously worked at Tennis Channel as an on-court reporter before her pickleball career began in 2018.
6. Leigh Waters
The mother of Anna Leigh, Waters is one of the top women's players each time out on the court. Her partnership with her daughter has made the Waters' one of the best stories in pickleball.
Waters owns 6 PPA titles and 2 U.S. Open gold medals, and is a very powerful player who often dictates points on the court.
7. Simone Jardim
Jardim is a veteran on the women's side and one of the most accomplished female players. The 44-year-old was ranked world No. 1 on the women's side from 2016 to 2020.
She previously coached Michigan State's tennis team for seven years before taking a step back due to her pickleball success.
8. Parris Todd
The 25-year-old is a former professional tennis player that has quickly risen up the ranks of pickleball. Todd became a fashion mogul off the court, but has become one of the biggest talents in pickleball after recently beating Anna Leigh Waters.
She played in Major League Pickleball for Team BLQK where she won a Pritchard cup.
9. Callie Jo Smith
Smith is a former University of Utah standout tennis star and turned pro in pickleball back in 2019. She has found huge recent success teaming up in doubles with Catherine Parenteau, Lucy Kovalova and Allyce Jones, and she's regularly a top 5 player in all women's divisions.
10. Irina Tereschenko
Tereschenko has been playing racquet sports for over 20 years and serves as one of the veteran faces on the pro tour. The Russia native is a five-time major champion after playing college tennis at Texas Tech University.