Pickleball has seen tremendous growth over recent years! What was once just a rec sport played for fun has grown into a professional sport that pays top players to be on professional tours and hands out prize money for tournament wins.
While pickleball continues to be a great sport for all ages and levels, there are players who have risen to the top. As the sport has grown, so have the ways that pickleball players are rated or ranked (which we will discuss at the end of this article).
When ranking the best pickleball players in the United States, we considered the following:
- Professional tournament gold medals
- DUPR rating
- MLP wins
- Online or off-court appeal
- Have an endorsement deal or two
The Best Pickleball Players
Following are our picks for the Top 10 pickleball players in both men’s and women’s in 2023:
Top Men Pickleball Players
- Ben Johns
- Riley Newman
- JW Johnson
- Collin Johns
- Tyson McGuffin
- Dylan Frazier
- Matt Wright
- Andrei Daescu
- James Ignatowich
- Zane Navratil
Top Female Pickleball Players
While Anna Leigh Waters is the best female pickleball player, and the other top 3 women’s players are pretty consistent, it becomes anyone’s game after that.
- Anna Leigh Waters
- Catherine Parenteau
- Anna Bright
- Lea Jansen
- Paris Todd
- Callie Smith
- Lucy Kovalova
- Vivienne David
- Jesse Irvine
- Etta Wright
Top 10 Pickleball Players According to DUPR (June 2023)
Men’s Doubles Players
- Ben John’s
- Riley Newman
- JW Johnson
- Dylan Johnson
- Andrei Daescu
- Matt Wright
- Jame Ignatowich
- Federico Staksrud
- Tyson McGuffin
- Travis Rettenmaier
Women’s Doubles Players
- Anna Leigh Waters
- Anna Bright
- Jackie Kawamoto
- Catherine Parenteau
- Leigh Waters
- Vivienne David
- Paris Todd
- Callie Smith
- Jade Kawamoto
- Lea Jansen
Top 10 Pickleball Players According to the PPA (June 2023)
These players have received multiple PPA titles.
Men’s Doubles Players
- Collin Johns
- Ben Johns
- Reily Newman
- Matt Wright
- Dylan Frazier
- JW Johnson
- Jay Devilliers
- Tyler Loong
- Tyson McGuffin
- Callan Dawson
Women’s Doubles Players
- Anna Leigh Waters
- Anna Bright
- Catherine Parenteau
- Lea Jansen
- Callie Smith
- Lucy Kovalova
- Jesse Irvine
- Allyce Jones
- Meghan Sheehan-Dizon
- Vivienne David
The World’s Best Pickleball Players
Mixed doubles partners Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters are, by far, the best pickleball players in the world. They have both won multiple triple crowns and have large endorsement deals with major brands. They are a dominant force on the court. Off the court, Ben is the face of Joola Pickleball and Anna Leigh has many endorsement deals including Fila.
Best Players on the Rise
While doubles is traditionally the game that is played in pickleball, singles pickleball has been mastered by many, especially tennis players who are moving into pickleball. It’s been exciting to watch new singles players come on the scene. While they currently may be great at singles, it will take a little time for them to master doubles.
The following players are ones who are either starting to medal in some professional tournaments or are being talked about in the pickleball world. We believe they will continue to climb in their ranking and will be able to give the top pickleball players a run for their money in the future.
Men’s Players
- Connor Garnett
- Christian Alshon
- Hunter Johnson
- Yates Johnson
- Pablo Tellez
- Jake Kusmider
- Collin Shick
- Hayden Patriquin
- Jaume Martinez Vich
- Gabriel Tardio
Women’s Players
- Jorja Johnson
- Etta Wright
- Lacy Schneemann
- Tyra Hurricane Black
- Mary Brascia
- Yana Grechkina
- Jade Kawamoto
- Meghan Sheehan-Dizon
- Lina Padegimaite
- Bobbi Oshiro
The GOAT’s – Best Pickleball Players of All Time
Pickleball wouldn’t be where it is today without the great players who paved the way. While there have been many great players over the years, the 2 top GOATS are:
Both Simone and Kyle have played in and consistently won tournaments before there were professional tournament tours. They even continue to win in professional tournaments today. They have both paved the way and have taught other players who are benefiting from the work they have put in over the years.
Pickleball Skill Level Rating
Pickleball players are rated from 1.0 – 6.0+. There are different systems that rate players. When considering the best players, it is good to use a combination of these different rating systems and watch professional tournaments. Between both types of metrics, you can get a good feel for who are the top players.
- UPTR is the official USA Pickleball rating for sanctioned tournament play
- DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Ratings) was created a couple of years ago as an effort to bring a more accurate, unbiased, global rating system to the sport of pickleball
- UTR is a rating system used in tennis. The APP tour uses this system to rank their players
- MLP (Major League Pickleball) – Players are ranked on their wins/losses and points played during an MLP game.
- PPA (Professional Pickleball Association) – Ranking points differentiate players during a PPA tournament
FAQs
Who is the best men’s pickleball player?
Ben Johns is the best men’s pickleball player. He has won numerous triple crowns on the PPA tour. He has won MLP championships and been the MVP. He is a very strategic and methodical player. Rumor has it he has taken notes on every player. He always comes prepared to play.
Who is the top female pickleball player?
Anna Leigh Waters is the top female pickleball player. She has won numerous triple crowns on the PPA tour, first with her mom as her doubles partner and currently with different partners. She is only a teenager still in high school, so it will be interesting to see how many records she will set in her career.
Who is the most electrifying man in pickleball?
Initially labeled as the most electrifying man in pickleball by Barstool Magazine, top 10 player Tyson McGuffin, lives up to that reputation with how he looks, dresses, and plays. He hustles on the court. He revs up the crowds. He has many endorsement deals and he has a popular pickleball podcast where he isn’t afraid to speak his mind.
Today’s Best Pickleball Players Will Change
It’s exciting to see how far pickleball has come over the past few years. More and more people are coming into the sport. The best players of today may not stay the top pickleball players for long. Even the current top player, Ben Johns, has said as much. He knows players are anxiously trying to overthrow him as the #1 player. It will be interesting to see how long he and Anna Leigh will remain on top.
Who do you think are the current top 10 players? Let us know in the comments below.
>>READ MORE: Pickleball Paddles the Top Pros Use<<
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