Anna Leigh Waters: 'Sometimes I Question Myself' | Full Interview

[00:00:31] Anna Leigh Waters

[00:00:35] Anna Leigh Waters

[00:01:02] Anna Leigh Waters

[00:01:34] Anna Leigh Waters Anna Leigh Waters

[00:02:02] Tim would end kind of wait for the other team to lose because the St. Louis Shock is not going to, you know, deflate on their own. You have to beat them. So when we went out there in the Dream Breaker, I was just kind of telling everybody like, we have to want this. We have to take it. If we were in this or if we knew we were going to be in this position, you know, leading up to the event, we would be very happy. So like, let's just kind of forget about being up 2-0 and just, you know, know that we, if we win this Dream Breaker, we win the MLP title.

[00:02:30] You know, Zane, I was, I was almost going to answer the question for you. There was a huge difference. They swapped out Zane Navratil for Federico Stakstrud. I don't know if you noticed this, but you know, it seemed to work out in your favor. Analia, my question is, you know, your team was great, but do you win this without Federico? Yeah, I honestly don't know. I really think Federico played a very pivotal role in our team.

[00:02:56] And obviously in the years before we hadn't had Federico on our team. So, so maybe he was the difference. I definitely think his energy and his, his singles ability is, you know, he's top three right now in singles. He's been number one. He can be number one. Um, so yeah, I really think winning those Dream Breakers is tough without Federico for sure. Those, yeah. And the celebrations, I mean, somebody who is on the, don't worry, Nico, I got this.

[00:03:22] So yeah, we're good. I just wanted to say the, have you ever seen anything like, uh, Federico's, uh, like celebration in pickleball? We talked about this at our, at our thing. Like nobody's ever been so hyped for a win. No, he literally hadn't. I don't know if you saw like the, the meme of him, like taking off his shoe, like after we won the second time, it was just so crazy. Like he was going nuts. He was bawling.

[00:03:50] Like he wanted it so bad. He had put so much into it. Like I love the energy. And, and honestly, like for what he had put into the team, I can see how that would have been his reaction after we watched it. He deserved it. I saw somebody listed the shoe on eBay or something for like over a hundred thousand dollars, which they're not going to get, but that's still funny. They've got his shoe. They're trying to sell it. That's so funny. Hey, I don't know. Somebody might pay it. You never know. It's a lucky shoe

[00:04:20] right there. Yeah, for sure. I want to know what happened to a sock. Did that person actually try and grab it at you? When he threw a sock, I was like, Oh my gosh, we just crossed the person might have thrown out the sock. I don't know that the sock is something you would want to keep, but the shoe definitely, man. Yeah. So, so Annalie, I, so speaking of Federico, one question for you, kind of like as a leader on the team is you guys go out six weeks ago

[00:04:47] or so decide you need Federico. How, how, how do you handle Will and Noe and you know, all the chants that are saying no way, no way and pundits saying Will shouldn't even be on the team. Like how, how does that noise affect the team? What do you do? And I mean, you go in and basically say, Will, we're replacing you in mixed. Noe, we're replacing you in men's, but we still trust you to do your

[00:05:12] job. How is that possible? Yeah. I mean, it's tough because those guys should definitely be playing both events on like any other team. But the fact that we had Federico really made us decide to put each of them in their best events, um, which also I think gave them an opportunity to really succeed because they are playing their best events. They're most confident in those events.

[00:05:34] Um, but yeah, I mean, it really took a lot of like wanting the team to win. It was a big team effort. We were all a unit. We've been saying that a lot. Like they kind of had to put maybe their egos aside because they knew they could play the other events and like, no, we need to do what's best for the team. But also we made it to the finals last year with Noe, Zane, Will. They were, we didn't have

[00:05:58] Federico. So we, as a team ownership and players knew that they could do it. We just also knew that having Federico on our team would be an upgrade to the team. So they never, I think felt like we doubted them much. Uh, it was more like this can just make the team better, you know? Does it feel any better, worse, different? I mean, a win is a win, but if I was on the team,

[00:06:25] I'd be like, yeah, I want to beat the shock, right? Like, does it feel a little bit better? I think it feels better because in my opinion, they were the second best team in the league. So the fact that we won beating the best team, you know, I think, or beating the second best team for me as a competitor feels really good as just because of our rivalry that, that means less to

[00:06:52] me because I'm close with Anna. Um, obviously I play Kate a lot in the PPA play Hayden a lot. So I feel like I played these players a lot and it was less of a, like a rivalry, rivalry with a shock for me. For Ryan Harwood, he probably really liked the fact that we beat the shock in the final, but I just think I was really proud of our team for kind of overcoming because, you know, in years prior, we had lost to that team a lot. So I think just like overcoming that and kind of

[00:07:17] beating them twice, not even going to the third in the final was really special. Um, for me in, in that sense, more of a competitor thing and less of a, like, Oh, I hate the shock, like feeling. Sure. I know you don't hate the shock, like, but, but do like, what do you think makes the rivalry so special? I think honestly, we're two of the teams in the league that care the most, you know, about what

[00:07:43] happens and, and we both really want to win the title. And when you have two people that really care and want to win the same thing, you're bound to have some tension. Um, I think their ownership too put a lot of time, effort, and money into their team. Our ownership also put a lot of time, effort, and money into their team and wanted to see them win. So I just think when you mix those two things and then you start having them play pickleball and we're so close to each other, things are bound to get heated, especially in MLP. I feel like things kind of, you know,

[00:08:09] take even that next level as far as like trash talk goes and people wanting to win and you're not playing the whole time. So you have time to like kind of sit and watch what's going on in the sidelines. So I think just all those things make, um, or made the finals like even more heated than if we were playing like Columbus again, like last year. Annalie, I have a question for you. Uh, if you're willing to answer this is, we mentioned this is maybe it was more special because it's the shock, who knows, but is there

[00:08:34] a player on tour, whether it be an MLP or in PPA that you like to beat the most or want to beat the most? Um, not going to lie. I like playing Ben in mixed doubles just because like it brings me back to like the old days and I was like fighting to like be his partner. So if I can like beat him in MLP, I'm like, I'm safe. Like you can keep playing with me. Like I got this, you know, I don't know.

[00:09:03] So I would say I enjoy playing, playing Ben. Uh, obviously Hayden and I always like have a little, like, I don't know. We have spicy matches sometimes. So I think like the competitiveness of that match is fun for me, but I think the match that I look forward to the most is playing Ben because I never get to play him on the PPA. So it's like fun to, to play some new competition. That's obviously like the best of the best. Good answer. I think, I think that's probably what everybody was hoping that you would say. I, we can tell that you get up for Ben. I think it's our

[00:09:33] favorite matchup as well, uh, to watch. And honestly, I think the reverse needs to be true. I think Ben needs to be beating you a little bit more and then think that he's safe. I mean, famously, famously, I may, may or may not have said that you would replace Ben with Hayden. I don't think that's happening. But I mean, if he keeps losing to you in MLP, I don't know. I don't know. So we'll see, but I'll have to let him know you said that. Oh, he couldn't like me anymore. I think

[00:10:01] so. Uh, yeah. So speaking of things that Nico has said, my podcast cohost picked against the fives all year long, including the semifinals and the finals. I'm curious, do you see any of this stuff? I know nobody really actually follows Nico, but do you see or pay attention to any of the social media noise or are you kind of just head down grinding? Cause at this point there's just so much like people

[00:10:30] are talking about you constantly. Like I'm talking about you constantly because in my goal to try and draw people into pro pickleball, you are absolutely the face of our sport. So do you see all that? I see some of it. Obviously I go on Instagram to like, you know, doom scroll or whatever. And sometimes Zane stuff pops up on my feed, but I don't go into like the rabbit hole of like, Oh my gosh, Zane said this. And then Nico said this. I'm like,

[00:10:56] then this person I don't even know said this. Like I try not to really look at that stuff because everybody has a different opinion. However, I was seeing before this MLP playoffs, like a lot of people like can Anna Lee or Ben be the greatest of all time without winning an MLP title. And I really, really wanted to win an MLP title just because of some of these people saying this stuff. Like I will say sometimes I see some stuff and then want to prove people wrong, but I, I try not to like every day go on social media and like see what people are talking about me,

[00:11:26] you know, today or what they think about me. Yeah. So since you, since you brought that up, we were actually chatting about that as well. What is your opinion on that? Can you be the best ever without an MLP title? Well, now I'm going to say no, because it's hard for people to win everything. Smart, smart. Before I might've said yes. No, I don't know. I really think you have to look at everything. Like

[00:11:55] obviously an MLP, like I said, a lot of things have to go right and you really have to, like I couldn't have won that title if I was playing my best and everybody else was playing terrible. Like it just wouldn't have happened. So I definitely think there is some like maybe unluckiness potentially like in the future, in the past that can happen. But, but I don't know. I think more time will kind of tell in that sense, kind of where MLP goes, maybe how the new rules are formed because right now too, like a lot of teams are spending a lot of money. So like potentially

[00:12:25] if you get on a team that doesn't want to spend, you know, for players, like you could be in a bad spot. So I think there's a lot of variables right now in MLP that make that hard to kind of have a clear opinion on right now. Yeah. It's true. In other sports, if you're chasing championships, you have your own ability to go into free agency and pick a winning team. You don't have any say in where you go in MLP, which is interesting. Maybe that'll change at some point, but right now you could completely just be stuck.

[00:12:54] Yeah. And like in basketball too, like LeBron's like on the court for the whole game, like in MLP, I'm only out there, you know, somebody's only out there for like half of it or less than half in the dream breaker, you know? So it's a little different in that sense too. It's interesting in different sports, how much the best player can carry a team, right? Like in basketball, you're one of five and soccer, you're one of 11. So it's harder for someone like Messi. And by the way, um, you know, I picked against you all weekend, but, uh, I made my amends

[00:13:22] yesterday on the pod talking to Zane. I've compared you, I said, you are now the Messi of our sport because Messi didn't have a world cup for forever. Uh, then gets it four years ago, finally completes it, but like really hard for him to carry a team because he's only one of 11. Right. And so it'll be interesting to see how much a dominant player can actually move the needle. Uh, but I think for the last three years, it's been obvious regardless of talent and your team has been good. And I think sometimes people don't give you, doesn't give your team enough credit.

[00:13:51] Like you've had amazing records every year, but what, one question I have, Annalie is, uh, or one thing I wanted to mention is, so I was on the court. Uh, they, they let me on, uh, after you guys won, uh, as media. And, and I told Zana, I think it was like some kind of Nico shame ritual. At one point Federico was, I think he might've left at this point was, I think I already may be drunk. I don't know, but leading a chant, um, Nico, the lefty F you, F you. And then he got the team.

[00:14:20] He's like, he's like, will all the fives come here. Let's take a picture with Nico, the lefty. Uh, and I was like, all right, no idea. Yeah. I'll deal with this. But, um, right at the beginning, I think someone asked you like, what does this mean? And you're like, uh, I think you said feels great. Probably going to have some dessert. Then I'm going to go focus on North Carolina, which is like, um, to, to quote Zane might be like the most like psychotic thing or

[00:14:44] a psych, you know, that I've heard. Right. And Zane famously, belovedly said that you were a psychopath on the partners documentary. And my question is, um, do you think you're a psychopath? Does this, does that, do you, um, does that make you, is that a compliment to you? Valid question. No, sometimes I do question myself just because of how intense I can be. Um, and some

[00:15:09] of the things I think, but I, I really felt like after the MLP title, it was just something I'd been wanting for so long. And instead of feeling like excitement, like the first match we won 2220, I felt so excited. But when we actually won the title, it was like this relief, like, and calm came over me. And I was like, I've been worrying about this for so long. Like, what do I have next to do on my list? Like, what am I doing next? What do I have? Like, I literally was like, all right,

[00:15:35] this is over. Like I can finally relax again. Like now let's focus on the, you know, the PPA North Carolina. So that was kind of what was going through my mind in that, in that sense, which sounds a little less psychotic than, Oh my God, I got to get so fricking dialed for this next week. Uh, two seconds after our win, it was just more of a, like, okay, like, whew, like I did it, you know, feeling. Well, first and foremost, psychopath has never been used in such a complimentary way.

[00:16:01] So they took me out of context. I was actually speaking. Okay, good, good. Um, I was honestly in the middle of that comparing you to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. And another thing I'm curious about is where does that actually stem from? I'll stand by it. Like, I think you're the craziest competitor I've ever been anywhere close to, um, or have any sort of like a relationship with like, and I don't

[00:16:30] think it's particularly close. And I'm curious, like what actually drives you to, I've obviously MLP title number one is like great, but what is going to get you up for PPA title number 193, right? Yeah. Honestly, I think it's really just comes down to like my competitiveness and my will to want to

[00:16:56] get better and to win. Because like, I'll tell you, like, even though we won yesterday, I was so upset that I lost that mixed match. Like I was thinking about it, like even after we had won the MLP title, like sitting there like, man, like, how did you not close it out up to zero? So I think like, just any little point, any little, like even matches that I win, but it's close. Like I think about them constantly. I'm always thinking about ways I can get better. I'm a little like,

[00:17:21] I don't know, like just obsessive might be the right word about, about pickleball just in general, because I am good at it. I just want like every little thing to be better. And some of the stuff I do with my mom, like on the practice court, I feel like sometimes she thinks I'm crazy because I'm like, no, no, no. Like it's good, but it's like, it could be way better. Like right now I feel like it's not one of my strengths. And she's like, no, but like it, like you win so many points out this. And I'm like, but it's just like, I'm not like comfortable. Like, you know, so I,

[00:17:48] I get pretty nitty gritty with a lot of things. And I think it's just like, cause I'm obsessed. So you, you mentioned it, but like, what is next for you? Right. What is obviously there's constant improvement, but what's the next goal for AL? Yeah. Honestly, like I had the kind of a realization when I was home this past or two weeks ago before the NLP, I was like training really hard

[00:18:15] at home. And I was like, I came home from one of my practices and I was like, man, there's just so many things that I want to get better at in pickleball. I was like in my head, like listing, like all the things I wanted to like get better at, or I think like are my best. I would say one of them, that's pretty obvious. I obviously don't want to give away what I'm working on, but it's just being more aggressive out of the air. I think like if I can somehow figure out when I hit like a really good backhand roll to like step on the line and hit a flick, like people,

[00:18:42] people's minds would be blown. So I, yeah, I think just like, if I can figure out how to be more aggressive out of the air, I also think like with my movement, I can do a lot more. Like if I hit a certain shot, like, you know, it's probably going to go here. So like how quick can I, can I get to this spot? There's like so many things that I feel like I can get better at, like in the game and less of like what titles do I want to win? Because I think when you put a lot of pressure on yourself to win like certain titles or keep winning titles, that's when it's like, well, what are you really

[00:19:10] working on? What are you trying to get better at? Like you're already doing that. It's more like, what am I doing to win these titles? How can I, you know, improve on the things? That's kind of what I'm working on right now. Less of like, let's triple crown at like worlds and more of like, all right, what can I add to my game? Annalie, Zane yesterday was talking about how, um, he was giving like Madden style or NFL 2K style

[00:19:38] ratings to players, right? And like how you're... I did see that, Zane. I was quite offended by the, by one of, one of those things. I don't know. I think you rated me like an 85 and something. And I was like, is that really that bad? I gave you a 99, Annalie. I gave you a 99. No, no, no, no, no. Putaways, I gave you an 85. I do think that's your weakness. I'm like, the crazy thing is Annalie's weakness, if anything, is freaking overheads. So if you're out there trying

[00:20:06] to develop a game plan against Annalie, is your game plan really going to be give her overheads? If you've got a weakness, like that's the one to have your freaking overheads. So I said, it's relative. And I would say, I would double down on if there's anything part of your game that's not as good compared to the rest, I think it is. You're probably, you're put away overhead. I don't know. What would you say if you've got a weakness that you don't want to,

[00:20:34] or that you're willing to say online, like what would you say it is? Well, I mean, I would say my flick, but I never hit it. So I guess that's not really like a weakness per se, because if you never like hit your weakness, is it really like a weakness? So I don't know, maybe, I don't know. I think my serve could be a lot better, to be honest. I think my serve could be a lot better. I think it's quite average.

[00:21:04] Fair enough. Agree to disagree, if your serve is average. I don't know. I think it could be deeper. I think I hit it hard, but a lot of times it's short. I think if I can figure out how to get it deep and hard, or deep and more spin, like that's something that I have been working on a while. And like, I struggle to keep a consistent serve. You see me all the time, like switching up technique and trying to find like the best serve. All right. Well, Annalie, we've, we've appreciated the time that you've been on here. Thanks for,

[00:21:34] as you mentioned, you got North Carolina, a lot of things to do, more trophies to win. I do have one last question before we let you go. And that is, what is the deal with the question mark Franklin paddle? Everybody wants to know. I mean, we were kind of hoping you would ask that question, but I actually got my nails done yesterday and there's a question mark on my nails. So we're really, we're leaning into it.

[00:22:00] But, oh, Danny Townsend actually said I was the Riddler with the question mark, which I thought was pretty funny. But no, I mean, obviously Franklin and I partnered together in January and we've really been wanting to kind of create something exciting and work on something. And this is definitely something that we're working on and we're cooking up and I'm excited to see for you guys to kind of see me play with it this week. But everybody out there watching this, you guys are going to love what's coming next.

[00:22:30] All right. Well, stay tuned. And Annalie, I'm sure you've got like the Today Show or something to get on after us, but I appreciate you coming and spending half an hour with the Pickle Pod. You want to sign us off? All you have to do is say Pickle Pod. Pickle Pod! Pickle Pod.