Mother-Daughter Duo Leigh and Anna Leigh Waters on Battling Each Other, Ice Cream, and Golden Moments/Medals Pickleball’s Newest Mother-Daughter Stars Open Up About Their Rapid Rise to Success and Competing Against One Another on the Sport's Biggest Stage Anna Leigh Waters, 14, and her mom Leigh Waters, 42, took the pickleball world by storm in 2019, winning a gold medal together in women's doubles at the Margaritaville USA Pickleball National Championships in Indian Well, California. The thrilling mother-daughter duo spoke with host Scott Golden in an April 2021 "In The Kitchen" interview about battling each other on opposing mixed doubles teams, embracing after an emotional win by Leigh, Anna Leigh's go-to ice cream order, waking up at dawn to finish a rain-delayed match, and much more. [1] 0:46 What was it like playing against each other in the US Open? Leigh called playing against her daughter in mixed doubles at the U.S. Open "the weirdest experience you can imagine." She elaborated: "Even though you want to win and you don't want to let your partner down, you also want them to do well and win, so it's just like a weird dynamic going on there." Anna Leigh confessed: "I personally hate it. It makes me physically ill when I see that I have to play her in a draw." She explained that while it's scary playing her talented mom, the "mother-daughter dynamic" also makes it extremely awkward. "I want her to win and do really well but yet here I'm playing with Tyson McGuffin - he doesn't want to go out, he wants to win." Leigh admitted they avoided saying "Come on!" when winning points against each other, making for a subdued and uncomfortable match. [2] 2:13 Can you talk about the long embrace after your mixed doubles match: Leigh Waters/Tyson McGuffin vs Anna Leigh Waters/Kyle Yates? After losing to her mom 15-12 in mixed doubles, Anna Leigh was visibly upset. Leigh recognized her daughter's disappointment and made a point to grab and hug her after the match, whispering encouragement in her ear. The embrace helped diffuse the emotion of the tough loss. Leigh later treated her daughter to ice cream, making jokes until she got Anna Leigh to laugh and put the difficult match behind them. "We understand that at the end of the match like most importantly we're mother daughter and so afterwards I could tell that Anna Leigh was upset as I would have been had I lost and I knew that if I could just grab her and get a hold of her and hug her and just say a few things in her ear that that it would help the situation and I think it did," Leigh explained. [3] 4:04 Anna Leigh - what ice-cream flavor did you get? To help cheer herself up after losing to her mom, Anna Leigh treated herself to cookies and cream ice cream in a waffle cone. As she put it: "I got the waffle cone cookies and cream ice cream after we after I lost that has to be a little bit better." The sweet snack was the perfect pick-me-up following the disappointing loss. [4] 5:08 What was it like to finish your Friday Women's Doubles Bronze Medal match on Saturday morning? Leigh and Anna Leigh were leading 8-3 in the second game of the women's doubles bronze medal match when heavy rain forced an overnight delay. They worried all night about losing momentum and struggled to sleep. After warming up for an hour the next morning, they managed to close out the match 11-5. However, the near-empty stadium lacked the typical electricity of medal matches. The unique COVID-19 protocols prevented crowds. Leigh felt the outdoor courts were actually more lively, saying "the people were just stacked and they were so close to you and that energy and there were way more people on the outside courts than there were at least it felt that way." Anna Leigh agreed "100 percent" that the outdoor crowd was more energetic. [5] 7:45 How did you first hear about Pickleball? The Waters family discovered pickleball while evacuated in Pennsylvania during Hurricane Irma in 2017. With limited entertainment options, they started playing pickleball at local parks - using borrowed wooden paddles at first. Leigh said they "loved it from the moment we were on the court we were hooked." Upon returning to Florida, they joined the Delray Beach Pickleball Club which introduced them to competitive tournaments. Delray hosted Anna Leigh's first-ever tournament. [6] 8:38 Paddletek paddles? The Delray tournament marked the beginning of the Waters' partnership with paddle company Paddletek. Founder Ken Fried saw a 10-year-old Anna Leigh playing and put a Paddletek TS5 in her hands - the same paddle she still uses today. Leigh initially played with a Selkirk paddle but switched to Paddletek around the time of the U.S. Open as well. She said "here we are today" playing exclusively with Paddletek paddles. [7] 9:57 What is your racket sports background? Anna Leigh has played tennis since age 8, competing in both tennis and pickleball for a while until focusing exclusively on pickleball during COVID. She believes tennis still helps her pickleball game and wants to play occasionally again. Leigh was a competitive junior player who earned a Division 1 tennis scholarship at the University of South Carolina. She played #1 singles and doubles all four years, quitting tennis after graduating. But when 8-year-old Anna Leigh wanted to learn tennis, Leigh picked her racket back up for a few years until discovering pickleball. [8] 11:13 How good/bad were you in your very first game? The Waters admit they were "probably terrible" in their first-ever pickleball game, mostly hitting tennis groundstrokes. Anna Leigh mused they were "good and bad" - impressing novices with their power while confusing experienced players by violating pickleball-specific strategy. Leigh recalled missing many nuanced pickleball shots early on, like returns off of tricky third-shot drops. [9] 12:32 When was your first tournament? How’d you do? Leigh's first tournament was the Delray Beach Open. She lost every match in the 5.0 women's bracket to vastly more experienced players like Andrea Coop. But she found more success partnering with seasoned player Stacy Townsend and winning the 4.5 mixed title with her dad. During the event, Anna Leigh's talent was so apparent that organizers bumped her mid-tournament from 3.0 to 3.5. [10] 13:58 Who is your favorite player to play against? Why? For Leigh, fellow top pro Andrea Koop is her favorite opponent. Their familiarity with each other's game leads to "so many inside jokes" and funny on-court moments. Anna Leigh enjoys facing off against Irina Tereschenko, citing their "mutual respect" and Tereschenko's wittiness even during intense points. [11] 15:20 Who is your least favorite player to play against? Why? Anna Leigh named her mom as her least favorite opponent, an easy choice given their awkward mother-daughter dynamic. Leigh wholeheartedly agreed: "I'll play anybody before playing her." They get anxious whenever they see they've been drawn to play one another and actively hope to land on opposite sides of a tournament bracket. [12] 16:36 What is your favorite shot? For Anna Leigh, her go-to is the backhand roll from the kitchen that she's trying to name. She loves how it comes in handy for mixed doubles. Leigh's favorite is the forehand speed-up shot from the kitchen, allowing her to seize offensive control of points. [13] 19:26 Where is your favorite place to play? Anna Leigh cherishes the electric atmosphere of the stadium court at the Indian Wells National Championships. Leigh points to Delray Beach where she started competing. The local club's first tournament holds special meaning as her pickleball origin story. [14] 20:02 What does your pre-match/tournament regiment look like? The Waters have an unconventional routine of eating a big Italian dinner the night before matches, then eating lightly in the morning. Anna Leigh isn't a big breakfast fan. They arrive about an hour early to warm up, take a break, then warm up again right before taking the court so they don't get cold. They say a prayer beforehand and listen to pump-up music, usually a rap song Anna Leigh plays that Leigh tries to sing along to. [15] 21:23 What’s one thing in your bag that people wouldn’t expect? Anna Leigh uses her bag to store medals from past pickleball and soccer tournaments, finding random medals buried in there from months or years ago. Leigh always carries unused server bands on her shoes and bag, building a collection over time that she can provide to other players if needed.
16] 23:28 What do you look for in a doubles partner?
The Waters both prioritize finding mixed doubles partners who remain positive, even after mistakes. Anna Leigh explained that women face immense pressure receiving most shots, so a supportive partner is crucial. Negative energy or eye rolls create anxiety. They credit frequent partners Tyson McGuffin and Kyle Yates for staying upbeat and encouraging. Leigh also appreciates strategic partners who communicate tactics before points.
[17] 25:56 Who enjoys being in the kitchen more?
Anna Leigh loves cooking Italian food, especially meatballs, meatloaf and pasta made completely from scratch. She also makes excellent pancakes for breakfast. Leigh revealed that Anna Leigh prepared the entire Thanksgiving dinner herself last year. Her baking talents shine through on cakes as well.
[18] 27:11 What are you binge watching?
During rain delays at the U.S. Open, the Waters used the downtime to stream episodes of Pretty Little Liars. They became engrossed in the mystery/drama series, binging multiple seasons in just a few weeks. It provided a compelling distraction between matches in Naples.
Leigh and Anna Leigh Waters have medaled at the sport's highest level while navigating the delicate balance of fierce competitors and loving mother-daughter duo. As pickleball explodes in popularity, keep an eye out for this emerging mother-daughter team as they continue battling opponents and rain delays on their quest for golden moments.
Time Code Question List
- 0:46 What was it like playing against each other in the US Open?
- 2:13 Can you talk about the long embrace after your mixed doubles match: Leigh Waters/Tyson McGuffin vs Kyle Yates/Anna Leigh Waters
- 4:04 Anna Leigh - what ice-cream flavor did you get?
- 5:08 What was it like to finish your Friday Women's Doubles Bronze Medal match on Saturday morning?
- 7:45 How did you first hear about Pickleball?
- 8:38 Paddletek paddles?
- 9:57 What is your racket sports background?
- 11:13 How good/bad were you in your very first game?
- 12:32 When was your first tournament? How’d you do?
- 13:58 Who is your favorite player to play against? Why?
- 15:20 Who is your least favorite player to play against? Why?
- 16:36 What is your favorite shot?
- 19:26 Where is your favorite place to play?
- 20:02 What does your pre-match/tournament regiment look like?
- 21:23 What’s one thing in your bag that people wouldn’t expect?
- 23:28 What do you look for in a doubles partner?
- 25:56 Who enjoys being in the kitchen more?
- 27:11 What are you binge watching?
"I would say this was my most special moment of the US Open. Opponents...mother, Leigh hugging her daughter, Anna Leigh, after Leigh and Tyson won to advance in mixed doubles. A "forever moment" to remember. It was a hug that seemed to last forever, and there were cheers and tears from the gallery as we all watched. These two are special and I feel fortunate to watch them as players and know them as people, two amazing individuals!" Dotti Berry
Pickleball Fire Magazine May/June 2021
Scott Golden Interviews Leigh & Anna Leigh Waters After the U.S. Open in April of 2021
Scott Golden Interviews Leigh & Anna Leigh Waters After the U.S. Open in April of 2021
