There is no question that presence of women in the sport of Pickleball is massive. According to USA Pickleball, over 40% of the total estimated Pickleball players in the country are women. Not only that, but the demographic is growing slightly faster than men. That is a significant representation by ladies out there in the Pickleball community, and it goes to show with the type of Pickleball talent that is represented by women at the top.
But who are these women that are representing women’s Pickleball? There are quite a few individuals out there that are making waves in the women’s Pickleball community. While there is debate as to who is the best player, there is no doubt that the women below represent the best of the best in women’s Pickleball.
Who are the best female Pickleball Players in the world?
Lauren Stratman
This Santa Barbara, California native is consistently in top 10 rankings including being rated a top 5 in the APP Tour and World PB rankings. She played in her first tournament in 2019 and has been making waves since. Recently dedicated to the sport of Tennis, she quit her full time job in Tennis to focus on Pickleball and has been monumental to the sport ever since.
Catherine Parenteau
Originally a Canadian Tennis star, Catherine Parenteau is one of the most well regarded female Pickleball players in the world. Not 6 months after starting her Pickleball journey, she was competing in the US Open for Pickleball. Today she has 3 US Open championships and over 15 PPA Tour Titles.
Lucy Kovalova
Lucy Kovalova is a tall Slovakian Pickleball player who has brought quite the international impact to women’s Pickleball. Orginially a talented tennis player, Lucy was part of her country’s Junior Nationals Tennis team growing up. Upon coming to the US, she was a nationally ranked collegiate Tennis star before hearing about and picking up the exploding sport of Pickleball. She has since loaded up on US Open medals in Pickleball and other accolades in the USA Pickleball National Championships and USA National Championships.
Michelle Esquivel
This California native is top 10 in pretty much every women’s Pickleball ranking system. She is a leading executive at HUB Pickleball club in San Diego regularly medals in the major Professional tournaments in both singles and doubles across the country.
Irina Tereschenko
With almost 40 gold medals in major Pickleball tournaments, Irina is a true Pickleball pro and someone to aspire to being for female Pickleball players across the cournty. A 20+ year racquet sports veteran from Russia, she has been a mainstay of the global Pickleball community for many years hosting Pickleball clinic worldwide.
Jennifer Dawson
Jennifer Dawson is an extroardinary pickleball player also comes from a tennis background. started winning Pickleball Tournament medals in 2015 and since has been keeping up world-class play in both Pickleball and Tennis since. She made history as the first person to win a triple crown at the US Open and boasts tons of gold medals in all of the major Pickleball tournaments.
Callie Jo Smith
Callie Jo Smith is a women’s Pickleball star from Utah. A leading PAC 12 collegiate Tennis player from at the University of Utah, Callie was introduced to Pickleball by her grandfather of all people/ From there, her love of the game grew and so did the force she would go on to become in the Pickleball community. Last year, she won her 1st women’s PPA doubles title with Lucy Kovalova and is currently ranked top 10 in the country.
Simone Jardim
Our first representative from South America on this list, Simone Jardim is a Brazilian-born Pickleball veteran who was widley considered the best female player in the world for much of the 2010s. Her resume is a tough one top. She holds 36 PPA titles and 70 gold medals representing Latin America arguably better than any Pickleball player from that part of the world.
Jorja Johnson
Jorja is one of the couple very unique playerson our list given how ridiculously talented she is for her age. Still in her teens at age 15 as of early 2022, she is already medaling in professional tournaments across the world. Jorja is a great example of how you can start to accomplish a lot in your teens given the right situation. Jorja comes from a Pickleball family where her brother JW is a young Pickleball star and her parents are active accomplished players. She has won almost 20 medals thus far and will only continue to get better.
Salome Devidze
A relative newcomer to Pickleball, this Georgian borne player is starting to build her Pickleball resume in tandem with a very successful tennis career. Salome is already ranked #2 in the world in women’s singles and is representing eastern Europe better than anyone here in the USA.
Lea Jansen
Lea Jansen is a Pickleball star. With a strong Franklin Sports sponsorship behind her, she has solidified her presence in the world of Women’s Pickleball. A native of Washington state, where Pickleball was invented, Lea won her first PPA singles gold medal in 2021 and has been improving her presnece in the sport ever since.
Anna Leigh Waters
In Anna, we have another young Pickleball phenom that amazingly turned pro at the age of 12. It’s rare that you have a sport this accessible that a 12 year old can start a world class career! Hailing from Delray Beach, FL, her Pickleball doubles partner is none other than her mother Leigh Waters, a former Tennis player. She already holds 7 PPA Triple Crowns, 6 US Open gold medals and 6 USAPA National Gold medals at the age of 15.
Conclusion
This list is everchanging as new and exciting female athletes come out of Tennis and other racquet sports. Expect this list to grow over time. Which begs the question….who else should be included in the list? Drop a comment below!