She’s the best female pickleball player ever. And only 19.

Anna Leigh Waters, the No. 1-ranked singles, doubles and mixed doubles player in the world, is considered the greatest female pickleball player ever.

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Professional athletes aren’t supposed to lose to 12-year-olds. But most 12-year-olds weren’t like Anna Leigh Waters in 2019.

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Waters was in middle school when she turned pro in pickleball and quickly showed that she was headed for big things, to the shock of her much older opponents.

“When I was younger, I didn’t really understand it, but a lot of people were treating me poorly on the court or would get pretty upset [and] call me names,” Waters told NBC News. “But now that I’m older, I realize the feelings they must have been going through losing to a 12-year-old. I could see how that could get people to maybe do things that they characteristically wouldn’t do.”