Kris Anderson

Sometimes Mother Nature plays a role in converting tennis players onto the pickleball court. Such was the case in 2014 for Kris Anderson who was all set to play outdoors when rain forced a change in plans. A friend recommended a game of pickleball in a nearby gym. The rest they say is history.

Anderson is one of the top doubles players in pickleball today. With partner Kevin Booth, they are the reigning Mixed Doubles champions at the USAPA National Championships. They also captured senior gold at the Las Vegas Open in 2018 and were gold medal winners in Pro Mixed Doubles at the 2018 Tournament of Champions. Anderson also won Senior Open Women’s gold in Doubles with Bonnie Williams last year at the Tournament of Champions.

A native of Scarsdale, New York, Anderson graduated from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania where she played four years on the tennis team. She credits USAPA Ambassador Ron Chang with getting her firmly involved in the sport of pickleball. “Ron was the incredible ambassador that got me out playing on a regular basis and I really owe a lot of the credit to him. There are so many great Ambassadors throughout the country introducing the sport to people and helping them stay involved which is what is really fueling this great interest in pickleball,” said Anderson.

Another aspect that is fueling interest in pickleball is the move of the USAPA National Championships to the world-renowned tennis facility — Indian Wells Tennis Garden. “Indian Wells is an incredible venue. I am very excited to get to play pickleball there!”