Major League Pickleball is packed with star power, and a surprising number of those stars are still teenagers. Lately, that’s sparked a debate online: should teens even be allowed to compete in MLP?

The argument goes like this: they’re too young, they should be enjoying their childhoods instead of stepping into the pressures of professional sports. Some believe pro pickleball should be reserved strictly for adults, leaving juniors to develop separately before making the leap.

It’s a fair concern. Protecting young athletes from burnout and excessive pressure matters. But this argument overlooks one major reality: Anna Leigh Waters.

Waters turned pro at just 12 years old and has since become the face of the sport—arguably the greatest player pickleball has ever seen—all before turning 20.

It’s hard to argue that teenagers don’t belong in pro pickleball when its biggest star is still one herself.

Pro player Zane Navratil, currently competing with the Chicago Slice, finds himself alongside three teenage teammates—Jalina Ingram, John Lucian Goins, and Elsie Hendershot—and he’s made his stance on the debate clear.

“These people are at the pinnacle of the sport, so if they’re not supposed to play pro ball, then where are they supposed to play?” posed Navratil. “They’re proving it out there every single time.”

And he has a point. With each passing season, more teenage players are stepping into pro lineups and not just holding their own, but taking down some of the sport’s top talent.

That’s part of what makes pickleball so unique. It’s a sport that spans generations, where age doesn’t define ability. If a player is competing at the highest level, their age shouldn’t be what holds them back.

The reason teenagers aren’t competing in pro leagues like basketball or football comes down to physical development. Those sports demand a level of size, strength, and contact that younger athletes simply aren’t ready for. But pickleball is different. There’s no physical contact, and the game relies more on skill, touch, and strategy than brute force. It’s why kids can step onto an amateur court and hold their own against adults, so why shouldn’t that translate to the pro level?

And it already is. Some of the best players in pickleball today are teenagers or just barely in their twenties. Waters, Hayden Patriquin, Jorja Johnson, and Gabe Tardio are just a few examples proving that age isn’t a barrier. It’s irrelevant when the talent is there.

“Imagine telling a 14-year-old who’s good enough to play pro that they can’t play. Where else are they supposed to play?” emphasized Navratil. “There’s nobody else their age for them to play against. You’d be stunting their growth by some arbitrary number.”

This conversation has really come into focus this MLP season, as younger players continue to get signed and deliver standout performances for their teams. Rising talents like Kelly Goodnow and Tama Shimabukuro have gone on impressive runs, showing that youth isn’t a limitation—it’s quickly becoming a competitive advantage.

“They prove that you can be 13 or 14 years old and absolutely ball,” said Navratil. 

So Navratil’s argument is simple: if they’re good enough to compete, why shouldn’t they play? It’s hard to disagree.

If anything, these teenage players are in an ideal position. They’re sharing courts and locker rooms with some of the best in the game—learning, adapting, and accelerating their development in real time. That kind of exposure is something most athletes don’t get until much later.

Teenagers in MLP? That’s not a problem. It’s part of what makes the league so exciting.

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