When Anna Leigh Waters feels the pressure inching closer on the court and needs to climb out of the hole, she calls a timeout and talks to herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Taking a deep breath, analyzing her strategy, and focusing on her mindset centers her above all else, often snapping her back into the game to make a comeback.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re in the hole, you have to stay positive because your opponent\u2019s trying to beat you, and if you\u2019re trying to beat yourself too, then that\u2019s two against one,\u201d the 16-year-old athlete tells Fortune. <\/em>\u201cBelieve in your shots. Believe in your game and what you\u2019ve done.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Waters\u2019 mental strength and competitive edge helped launch her to the top of her game\u2014she holds the number one title in pickleball worldwide in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Waters turned professional in pickleball<\/a> at age 12, becoming the youngest pro player in the sport. She quickly climbed up the ranks, having since racked up 10 triple crowns <\/a>and six gold medals from the USA Pickleball Nationals.\u00a0<\/p>\n She often turns to her mom, an expert player herself in pickleball who left her lawyer job to coach and travel with her daughter, on the sidelines for a \u201ctune-up session,\u201d Waters says.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf I\u2019m missing a couple shots, she\u2019ll be like, \u2018Anna Leigh, just be you<\/em>,\u2019\u201d Waters says. \u201cIt really helps me a lot because I know what I can do and what I\u2019ve done in the past, so if I remember those moments, or just remember me being me, it really helps me and gets me motivated.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Keeping her eyes on the prize, and strengthening her confidence in a short amount of time, is no easy feat. Waters attributes her ability to crush self-doubt and stay positive in moments of high stress to her mother\u2019s words of wisdom and the mental coach she has had on her side for the last year.<\/p>\n The more times Waters practices talking kindly about herself, the more she has shown up on and off the court and been able to \u201ctune-up\u201d without the help of her coaches. She also reminds herself: \u201cPressure is a privilege.\u201d That burning, heart racing feeling means she cares, and has already accomplished something worthwhile in the past.\u00a0<\/p>\n Giving yourself grace is tough, Waters says, especially because the brain generates thousands of often unhelpful and negative thoughts each day. But actively switching gears has helped Waters succeed.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWatching Anna Leigh compete, she\u2019s feisty. She\u2019s the animal. She\u2019s an absolute beast on the court,\u201d says Christian Alshon, a professional pickleballer who often plays with Waters, in a previous Fortune<\/em> video interview<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\u2018Pressure is a privilege\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n