Summary of the 2020 South Carolina Gamecocks Article: Leigh (Eichelberger) Waters

Former tennis player now among world's best on another court

In a remarkable athletic second act, former University of South Carolina women’s tennis player Leigh (Eichelberger) Waters has reemerged as one of the top professional pickleball players in the world—this time, as part of a mother-daughter duo with her then-13-year-old daughter, Anna Leigh Waters.

January 22, 2001

After a successful collegiate tennis career from 1997 to 2001 and over a decade practicing law, Waters found herself drawn to pickleball during a family visit to Pennsylvania, where her father introduced the game. Once back in Florida, she and Anna Leigh quickly immersed themselves in the sport. Within months, they were entering tournaments; within two years, they had climbed to the top of the professional pickleball rankings. In November 2019, the duo won the doubles title at the USA Pickleball Nationals at Indian Wells, completing a sweep of the sport’s three majors alongside a Tournament of Champions win.

Waters describes pickleball as deceptively fast-paced, with dynamic exchanges and a growing emphasis on aggressive play. She and Anna Leigh brought a tennis-style “banger” approach that disrupted the traditional slow, “dinking” style associated with the sport’s older demographic. Their impact helped usher in a younger, faster era of pickleball.

Waters, once ranked 6.4 on the sport’s 6.5-point rating scale, has now embraced a full-time pickleball lifestyle, trading in her legal career to travel the country for competitions, teach the sport, and build brand partnerships. Meanwhile, Anna Leigh balances pickleball with homeschooling, competitive tennis, and high-level soccer.

Reflecting on her roots, Waters fondly recalls her time at South Carolina and the camaraderie of the Gamecock athletic community. Though her days on the tennis court are over, she’s found a new kind of family and fulfillment—on a slightly smaller court, with a paddle in hand and her daughter by her side. (Source: 2020 South Carolina Gamecocks Article)