There were so many special moments during the Jenius Bank Pickleball World Championships at Brookhaven Country Club.

Chief among them was World No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters seeking the advice of a Proton Court Kid on match point against Kaitlyn Christian in the women’s singles semifinals.

Waters approached eight-year-old Micah Yeboah to ask whether she should serve to Christian’s forehand or backhand, and Yeboah suggested that serving to the forehand side was the right move.

The youngster nailed it, and moments later, Waters celebrated a hard-fought victory that spanned 80 minutes from start to finish on Nature's Choice Championship Court.

That celebration included a memorable embrace with her special helper for a job well done.

“I love hugs and I love high fives,” said Micah, a third-grade student at Frazier Elementary in McKinney, TX.

“He’s a big hugger,” added his father, Festus, who initially introduced Micah to America’s fastest-growing sport, before enrolling him in classes at The Picklr several months ago to learn from coach Dino Lopez.

While Festus was on-site at the tournament along with the rest of the family, he actually missed Micah’s “coaching debut” because he was on dad duty.

It’s a funny story.

“I was out going to get food for Micah, and then when I saw him, the first thing he did was jump up and say, ‘Daddy, Daddy, Annie Leigh Waters hugged me!’ Then everyone came to us, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I missed it!’ Thank God they showed it on Pickleballtv multiple times. I recorded it, and then I sent it to everyone,” he explained.

“I didn't believe it at first, but one of my neighbors, whose son was also doing the same thing, came to me like, ‘Man, can you believe Anna Leigh Waters gave your son a hug?’ I didn't even know the story behind it, and then he told me later. Now I can’t stop talking about it.”

A huge fan of MLP’s Dallas Flash, Festus is hoping that Micah will pursue pickleball for years to come.

And perhaps this unique experience with Waters will encourage him to dream about becoming an elite pickleball athlete down the road, too, just like her.

“Imagine if this becomes the moment that defined it all, when he goes pro, where he remembers that he actually got the confidence to call a play and somehow helped Anna Leigh win her Triple Crown, right? That's how significant it is,” he shared.

“It’s to the point where my wife and I were even texting that we were going to start going to the park more, we’re going to play more, because I feel like this means something. This could be a sign. I want something big to come out of it, and then one day when we're talking about Micah’s story, we can make this the defining moment that changed everything.”

Micah still has a long journey ahead of him, of course, but anything is possible with the support of his father and Coach Lopez to steer him down the right path.

Following his progress should be fun.

“My goal is for Micah to play his first tournament when he turns 12 or 13. I was like, ‘Dino, I want to get him ready for his first tournament in the next four or five years. We need to play a tournament together.’ I’ve also told Dino, ‘I want Micah to go to the PPA.’ Everybody wants their child to go professional. I don’t want to be very cliché, but it would be amazing if he could get there,” mentioned Festus.

“I always tell my wife, if I could travel with him all around to different places and I’ll be his coach on the sidelines kind of like Leigh Waters or Julie Johnson, I would definitely love that, just being on the bench and being the one coaching him.”

It’s safe to say that pickleball has strengthened their bond even further.

The mutual appreciation for the game is the real deal.

"I love pickleball, and sometimes when you love something, your kids are like, 'Oh man, we don't want to do this,' but Micah actually enjoys pickleball. Anytime I go to practice or drill, he wants to play with me, he wants to hit with me. The fact that he likes pickleball, that's what made me be like, 'Okay, maybe we can partner up and play doubles someday.' That's a proud moment for me," noted Festus.

“Even when we’re watching Championship Sunday and I’m rooting for Anna Leigh Waters or Ben Johns, he’ll come and sit by me and be like, ‘Daddy, who’s winning?’ or when the Dallas Flash are playing, he’ll be like, ‘Are the Flash winning?’ We watch Pickleballtv all the time. It's literally the default on our TV. It's the background noise all the time.”

It really doesn’t get any better than that.

As for giving Waters a boost on the road to surpassing Johns for the most titles in PPA Tour history, Micah couldn’t be prouder.

“It makes me feel very happy,” he insisted. “I helped her be the best player in the whole world.”

He certainly did.

Festus, meanwhile, will always remember Waters’ especially kind gestures on Semifinal Saturday.

It definitely caught his attention.

“For a player to go out of their way to talk to a ball boy or ball girl, or even give them a high five, it means a lot. Maybe other players can start doing this because if it touched him and he's like, ‘I want to get into pickleball now because of this moment,’ that’s meaningful,” he emphasized.

“When that happened, I realized that when Anna Leigh wins, she goes around and gives everyone a high five. I never noticed that, and I thought that was very sweet. If this can encourage other players to do it, because it created such a huge defining moment in another kid's life, that’s a good thing.”

Shortly after claiming her record-setting 168th career gold medal with a win over Kate Fahey on Nov. 9, Waters spoke about her commitment to showing kindness and gratitude every chance she gets.

It’s near and dear to her heart.

“I grew up in the pickleball community. I was one of those kids going up to the pros not too long ago, going up to Ben asking for an autograph. You remember how those people treat you,” said Waters, during an interview with Pickleballtv's Kamryn Blackwood and Matt Manasse.

“I also reffed when I was younger, so I also know what it's like to be a ref and how hard that is. Just having been immersed in the community for so long, and having been in different sections of it, I've also been a spectator watching my mom play when I was younger, so I see all the different sides of it. I am very appreciative of everyone and everybody who does everything. Even you guys, we wouldn't be doing what we're doing without you. Everybody plays a big part.”

Spoken like a true champion.

That's for sure.

Want your child to be a Proton Court Kid like Micah when the PPA Tour visits your area?

Contact Proton's Vice President of Operations, Marc Siegel, via email at  Marc@protonsports.com and write “PROTON COURT KID” in the subject field.