There is no single, universally agreed-upon "number one" pickleball player, since rankings depend on which system and tour you're looking at — PPA Tour rankings, MLP team performance, DUPR ratings, and other tour rankings can each tell a different story, and the top spot changes frequently as players compete throughout the season.
Because rankings shift throughout each season, the most reliable way to find the current top-ranked player is to check the official current rankings published by the PPA Tour, MLP, or DUPR directly, rather than relying on a name from an older article or outdated source.
Pickleball's competitive history has featured a number of players widely regarded as among the most dominant in the sport, with names like Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters frequently mentioned in discussions of the sport's top all-time competitors due to their extended periods of high-level success across the PPA Tour, MLP, and other major events. That said, the competitive field continues to grow and evolve as more high-level athletes enter the sport, so any specific claim about current rankings should be verified against up-to-date sources.
The PPA Tour and MLP both publish current rankings and standings based on that season's results, and DUPR's website maintains current skill ratings for registered players. These are the most reliable sources for up-to-date ranking information.
No — DUPR is a skill rating system used broadly across recreational, competitive, and professional play, while the PPA Tour and MLP maintain their own separate rankings and standings based specifically on results within their own competitions. A player can have a high DUPR rating without necessarily being the top-ranked player on the PPA Tour, and vice versa.
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