Professional Pickleball is hard to follow. While the sport has exploded recently, the highest level still doesn’t receive the attention it deserves. Many people aren’t aware of these elite athletes even the best ones, but we’re going to try to fix that. As of writing this article, this is how we see the playing field and our pick for the number 1 pickleball player.
Men’s Top Players
Ben Johns
We couldn’t put together a group of candidate’s for the best pickleball player without including Ben Johns. The complete package, Johns has dominated singles, doubles, and mixed doubles for multiple years now.
Fresh off a year in which he finished the season ranked as the number 1 pickleball player in all 3 categories, he’s continued his streak of dominance again holding a top spot in the rankings for each.
He’s already a lock for pickleball’s hall of fame. Holding 11 triple crowns (winning gold in all 3 categories in a tournament) he has a laundry list of achievements and win streaks that are unlikely to be topped anytime soon. Only 23 years old, he still has the rest of his career to add to his ever growing list of accomplishments.
Most recently at the PPA Tournament of Champions in Utah, Johns won gold in both Men’s Singles and Mixed Doubles while capturing the silver in Men’s Doubles, where he plays with his brother Collin as his partner.
JW Johnson
Continuing to improve each and every season, the Johnsons make it a family affair, with his Mom and Sister both competing in Women’s Senior and Women’s divisions respectively.
If you thought Ben John’s was young, JW Johnson is still only 19! A rising star in the league for a while now, Johnson doesn’t quite have the pedigree of Johns, but if talking about the best player right now, he has to be included in conversation. He’s currently ranked number 2 in the world in both men’s singles and doubles and number 1 in mixed doubles according to the World Pickleball Rankings.
Johnson plays in the major pickleball league on the Florida Smash and is partnered with Joola for his gear.
Zane Navratil
One of the hottest players in pickleball, and the current number 1 ranked singles player, Zane Navratil ditched his future in accounting to take up pickleball professionally in 2020.
Since then he has quickly cemented himself as one of the top players in the league. He already has two triple crowns this summer, winning gold in 5 other tournaments this year. There is still half a season remaining.
He is an exceptionally sound player with excellent footwork and defense, winning by rarely making mistakes and covering vast amount of the court with his length. Known for his chainsaw serve, he takes control of games quickly from the jump.
Women’s Top Players
Anna Leigh Waters
If you thought it couldn’t get any younger, Anna Leigh Waters is just 15 years old, and has found a way to include dominating pickleball into a typical teenage routine that includes travel soccer. A pickleball phenom, she won her first professional event at 12.
She currently ranks top 5 in all three categories and has pioneered a unique style of play with her mother.
While many people think of dink exchanges at the line when they think of pickleball, Waters wins with power and aggression, hitting bangers from the baseline.
In the recent Tournament of Champions she captured the triple crown, winning gold in all three categories. While her list of achievements isn’t quite as long as some other women, she is undoubtedly at the top of the sport right now.
Cathereine Parenteau
Parenteau is a 27 year old from Naples Florida. Like many pickleball players she has her roots in tennis where she ranked 4th in Canada at one point. She switched to begin competing in Pickleball in 2015. Since then she spends her time either playing competitively or teaching as an instructor.
Professionally, she’s won 13 PPA tour titles. She stands at 2nd and 1st in singles and doubles for the world right now. Additionally Parenteau has won the US Open three times. So while she has been around the block longer than some of these other players, she definitely has a body of work that shows it, and she remains at the top of the game.
My Picks for Number 1 Pickleball Player
While these players are all the cream of the crop in the sport, and there were dozens more I couldn’t include. The list itself was a tough choice. But at the end of the day, I wouldn’t feel right walking away from this not having Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters at the number 1 pickleball player for the men and women’s divisons.
Taking into account their overall prowess in all three categories, they are the best choice. It’s fitting then that at the most recent tournament they competed as mixed doubles partners.
Johns’s resume stands alone atop the mountain for men’s, and he remains in the mix today. It’s rare to find a tournament he doesn’t end up on the podium. He also is probably the greatest ambassador the sport has seen and is partially responsible for its growing popularity.
While Anna Leigh Waters is young, her sheer dominance and play in the last year or two earned her this spot. It seems like she’s really taken over this year. It’s scary to think about how good she’ll be as she gets older and continues to develop her skill and athleticism. In 5 years we may talk about her the way we do about Ben Johns.