THE PROS.
Profiles of the top professional pickleball players — career highlights, playing styles, and the stories behind the names.
Men's Tour7 players
Ben Johns
"The GOAT"
The undisputed architect of modern pickleball. Ben Johns held the #1 ranking in singles, doubles, AND mixed doubles simultaneously — a feat no other player has achieved. His two-handed backhand and ability to control the pace of any rally make him nearly impossible to game-plan against.
Career highlights
- ›100+ PPA gold medals — the most of any player in history (until ALW surpassed in 2026)
- ›21 Triple Crowns — gold in singles, doubles, and mixed at the same event
- ›108-match singles win streak — the all-time record
Fun fact
Ben has a degree in Materials Science & Engineering from the University of Maryland. He turned down a career in engineering to pursue pickleball full-time — a bet that paid off spectacularly.
Federico Staksrud
"Fede"
The Argentine who rewrote history. In 2024 Staksrud became the first player to unseat Ben Johns from the #1 singles ranking — a mark that had stood for over five years. His flat, aggressive baseline game and powerful serve make him the most dangerous opponent Johns has faced.
Career highlights
- ›First player ever to take the #1 singles ranking from Ben Johns (2024)
- ›2025 Pickleball World Championships Doubles gold (w/ Patriquin)
- ›Medals in 20 of 24 PPA events in the 2024 season
Fun fact
Staksrud is one of very few international players to crack the very top of the PPA rankings. He represents Argentina and is one of the sport's most important ambassadors outside North America.
Tyson McGuffin
"The Machine"
The Machine. A wrestling background gives McGuffin unique athleticism — his lateral movement, low center of gravity, and relentless energy come directly from the mat. Known for pumping up crowds with fist-pumping celebrations and building one of pickleball's most loyal fanbases.
Career highlights
- ›13+ PPA gold medals across his career
- ›2019–2021 top-3 singles ranking — a dominant era
- ›One of the sport's most-followed players on YouTube and Instagram
Fun fact
Before pickleball, McGuffin was a competitive wrestler. He's often credited with making pickleball 'cool' to mainstream sports fans through his personality-driven social media presence.
JW Johnson
"JDub"
JDub. At just 22, JW Johnson is already one of the most complete players on the pro tour. His elite dinking game, exceptional reset ability, and calm demeanor under pressure have coaches calling him the next #1.
Career highlights
- ›Multiple PPA gold medals before age 21
- ›2025 Pickleball World Championships Doubles finalist
- ›Widely considered the next player to dethrone Ben Johns at #1
Fun fact
JW frequently plays doubles alongside his sister, Lucy Johnson — creating one of the sport's most unique sibling storylines. The two often travel and compete on the same tour stops together.
Collin Johns
Ben Johns's older brother and the analytical mind behind pickleball's most celebrated doubles partnership. Collin's precise dinking and elite court positioning made the Johns brothers nearly unbeatable in men's doubles for years.
Career highlights
- ›2024 PPA #1 Men's Doubles ranking
- ›Multiple Triple Crown appearances alongside Ben Johns
- ›The strategic backbone of the most dominant doubles team in pickleball history
Fun fact
The Johns brothers split their doubles partnership heading into 2025–26 to explore new pairings — a storyline the entire pickleball world watched closely, like Federer and his coaching changes but for a doubles team.
Riley Newman
The artist of professional pickleball. Newman's unpredictable shot selection and willingness to try angles no one else attempts makes him a perpetual highlight reel. His former mixed doubles partnership with Jessie Irvine was one of the most successful in PPA history.
Career highlights
- ›Former dominant #1 mixed doubles partnership with Jessie Irvine
- ›Multiple PPA gold medals across all three divisions
- ›One of the most creative shot catalogs on the professional tour
Fun fact
Newman is known for pulling out trick shots and surprise angles mid-match — not as showboating, but because he genuinely sees the geometry differently. Opponents describe him as the hardest player to anticipate.
Hayden Patriquin
Canada's other pickleball star. Patriquin rose rapidly through the top tier with a calm, methodical style that belies his youth. His partnership with Staksrud is the most feared men's doubles combination in the sport right now.
Career highlights
- ›2025 Pickleball World Championships Doubles gold (w/ Staksrud)
- ›7 medals with Staksrud in 12 tournaments in 2025
- ›One of only a few Canadians to crack the PPA Tour top 5
Fun fact
Pickleball Canada has cited Patriquin as the sport's ambassador for Canadian youth development. At ~24, he's already a world champion and still considered one of the most improved players year-over-year.
Women's Tour5 players
Anna Leigh Waters
"ALW"
The most dominant player in pickleball history. By early 2026, ALW surpassed Ben Johns as the all-time winningest PPA Tour player. She turned pro at 12, became the youngest champion in sport history, and has never really looked back.
Career highlights
- ›181+ PPA gold medals — surpassed Ben Johns to become the all-time winningest player
- ›39 Triple Crowns — sweeping all three divisions at a single event
- ›Undefeated in 2025 PPA Women's Singles — 680+ consecutive days without a loss
Fun fact
Anna Leigh discovered pickleball entirely by accident. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, her family evacuated Florida and her grandfather introduced them to pickleball at a Pennsylvania rec center. Within five years she was the undisputed #1 player in the world.
Anna Bright
The fastest rise in women's pickleball history. Anna Bright was a serious NCAA tennis competitor at a top-10 program before switching to pickleball in 2022 — and within one year was beating players who had been on tour for a decade.
Career highlights
- ›Career-high #13 nationally in NCAA Division I tennis at UC Berkeley
- ›Rose to top-3 women's ranking within one year of turning pro in pickleball
- ›Multiple PPA gold medals since 2022
Fun fact
Her tennis credentials are legitimate — career-high #13 nationally is equivalent to a professional ranking. When she pivoted to pickleball, coaches immediately noted that her heavy topspin (a tennis hallmark) was uniquely suited to the dinking game.
Catherine Parenteau
"Cat"
One of pickleball's most enduring elite players. Cat Parenteau has been a top-5 women's player for five straight years through sheer consistency, sharp angles, and high-IQ play. A former NCAA tennis player at Michigan State who was hand-picked by Simone Jardim to be her successor.
Career highlights
- ›2021 US Open Women's Singles and Women's Doubles gold medals
- ›Five consecutive top-5 end-of-year finishes
- ›Mentored directly by former world #1 Simone Jardim
Fun fact
Simone Jardim — the dominant women's player before Anna Leigh Waters — essentially recruited Parenteau from tennis specifically to train her as a pickleball pro. The mentorship worked: Parenteau became a world-class player and Jardim's legacy lived on through her student.
Parris Todd
Famous for a feat that made her a household name overnight — winning all three events at the 2023 US Open in a single weekend. Singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. A Triple Crown at the sport's most prestigious independent event is considered one of the hardest achievements in pickleball.
Career highlights
- ›2023 US Open Triple Crown — Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles in a single weekend
- ›Multiple PPA gold medals
- ›#3 PickleWave ELO women's ranking 2025
Fun fact
The US Open Triple Crown had only happened a handful of times in the sport's history before Todd did it. She celebrated by crying courtside with her team — a moment that went viral and introduced millions of new fans to her story.
Jessie Irvine
One of the most versatile players in the women's game. Irvine switched from professional tennis to pickleball after a shoulder injury that prevented her from hitting overheads — the same mechanics that were her weakness in tennis became her pickleball superpower.
Career highlights
- ›Top-5 in singles, women's doubles, AND mixed doubles simultaneously
- ›Former dominant mixed doubles partnership with Riley Newman
- ›Speaker at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference
Fun fact
Irvine was invited to speak at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference — one of the most prestigious sports business events in the world — to discuss pickleball's growth. She's as respected off-court as she is on it.
Player data sourced from ppatour.com, pickleball.com, PickleWave ELO, Wikipedia, and Forbes. Ages are approximate. Rankings reflect end-of-2025 season standings.