Fearless at 13: Elsie Hendershot’s Fast Climb from Junior Standout to MLP Player
By The Pickleball Weekly Editorial Team • May 20, 2026 • 9 min read
A lefty changing the angles
INSIDE PROFESSIONAL pickleball, players and coaches keep using the same word when talking about Elsie Hendershot. Fearless.
Not fearless in the loud, emotional sense. Not reckless. Not immature. The kind of fearless rooted in belief, composure, and a willingness to challenge adult professionals without shrinking from the moment.
At just 13 years old, Hendershot has already become one of the most closely watched young players in professional pickleball. The left-handed standout from Mapleton, Utah has rapidly evolved from junior phenom into one of the sport’s most intriguing long- term prospects, building a reputation around heavy groundstrokes, advanced tactical instincts, and a level of competitive maturity rarely seen at her age.
Her rise has happened quickly, and perhaps even faster than anyone around her expected.
From Utah Courts to the Professional Stage
Only a few years ago, Hendershot was simply another young athlete discovering pickleball. Now she is sharing courts with some of the biggest names in the sport.
The speed of her development has surprised even people close to her. After climbing rapidly through the Junior PPA ranks, she captured major junior titles, signed a professional contract with the PPA Tour in 2025, and suddenly found herself competing against established professionals before most teenagers are even thinking about driving permits.
Her timeline accelerated even further during the 2026 Major League Pickleball Draft.
The St. Louis Shock selected Hendershot in what many viewed as one of the most fascinating picks of the draft, placing the teenage left-hander onto one of the league’s strongest rosters alongside Anna Bright, Gabriel Tardio, Hayden Patriquin, Kate Fahey, and John Lucian Goins.
For most young players, joining a powerhouse roster this early would feel intimidating. Hendershot seemed more excited than overwhelmed.
Her reaction reportedly involved screaming in the car after learning she had been drafted while on the way to practice. The moment perfectly captured how quickly her world has changed over the past year.
Winning Early and Winning Fast
One reason the pickleball world has become so fascinated by Hendershot is how many milestones she has already reached before even entering high school.
She earned her first Junior PPA Tour gold medal while capturing her first Grand Slam title after defeating both the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the draw. She has also become a regular winner at regional moneyball tournaments, recently taking gold at a Club Pickleball USA Moneyball event.
Then came another historic moment. During the 2026 Major League Pickleball Draft, Hendershot became the youngest player ever selected by the St. Louis Shock, immediately placing her inside one of the premier organizations in professional pickleball. While she is not yet ranked No. 1 in the professional divisions, she is already widely viewed as one of the sport’s top young prodigies.
For a player still balancing middle school homework and tournament travel, the pace of her rise has been extraordinary.
Why Anna Bright Wanted Her
One detail surrounding the Shock draft selection immediately stood out. Anna Bright strongly wanted Elsie Hendershot on the team.
Inside professional pickleball, veteran players do not casually endorse young prospects unless they genuinely believe something special is developing. Bright repeatedly praised Hendershot’s mentality, fearlessness, athleticism, and long-term upside after watching her compete against top-level players.
Part of the intrigue comes from how advanced Hendershot already looks strategically.
She plays with unusual patience for a teenager. She processes adjustments quickly during matches. She understands geometry and angles at a level many older players still struggle to master. Her left-handed positioning alone creates matchup problems, especially in crosscourt exchanges where forehand pressure naturally attacks right-handed backhands.
Then there is the power.
Hendershot drives the ball aggressively from the baseline while maintaining shape and spin on her shots. Opponents quickly realize they are not playing a typical junior player floating balls safely back into the court. She steps forward confidently, takes time away, and applies pressure immediately. Her game already carries an unmistakable professional feel.
The Left-Handed Advantage
Professional pickleball does not feature many high-level left-handed women, which makes Hendershot even more dangerous.
Lefties naturally alter court patterns. Angles change. Speed-up locations shift. Defensive instincts built against right-handed players suddenly become less reliable, and Hendershot understands exactly how to weaponize those differences.
She attacks with heavy topspin, changes pace effectively, and forces opponents into uncomfortable court positioning. Her baseline drives come fast and deep, often pinning players farther behind the kitchen line than they prefer.
What impresses coaches most, however, is not simply the power. It is the decision-making.
Many young players rely entirely on athleticism. Hendershot already plays with tactical awareness. She recognizes patterns. She adjusts mid-match. She understands when to speed exchanges up and when to slow them down. Observers repeatedly describe her as someone “playing with her head,” which may be the highest compliment possible for a young player entering the professional ranks.
Balancing School, Family, and the Pro Tour
Despite the growing attention, Hendershot’s daily life still contains plenty of normal teenage routines.
She remains enrolled in traditional school instead of fully transitioning to online education. She studies during flights, in airports, and during travel windows between tournaments. She reportedly enjoys math and science, gravitating naturally toward analytical thinking both on and off the court.
Her family plays a major role in maintaining stability. Her father, Cade, travels extensively with her while helping manage the increasingly complicated logistics surrounding professional pickleball. Her mother focuses heavily on maintaining normalcy at home despite the whirlwind tournament schedule. Siblings help keep perspective intact, reminding her there is still life beyond rankings, medals, and social media attention.
The balance matters because professional pickleball has grown incredibly fast, and young players now enter spotlight environments much earlier than previous generations. Sponsorships, travel, media obligations, and pressure arrive quickly once success starts building.
People around Hendershot appear determined to let her remain a teenager while simultaneously developing into a professional athlete, and so far, the approach seems to be working.
Building a Brand Alongside a Career
As Hendershot’s profile continues rising, brands have started paying close attention.
She is sponsored by Paddletek Pickleball for paddles and apparel while also partnering with organizations and companies including Pay It 4RTH, Pickleball Central, 4RTH Pickleball, UDRIPPIN, and Proton Sports. The support reflects how rapidly she has become one of the sport’s most marketable young athletes.
Much of the appeal comes from the combination of talent and personality. Hendershot competes with visible fire on the court, yet still carries herself with the energy of a grounded teenager balancing school, family, travel, and professional sports. For sponsors looking toward the future of pickleball, she represents the next generation of the game arriving in real time.
The Anna Leigh Comparisons
Once a teenage phenom starts beating adults, comparisons become unavoidable. For Hendershot, many observers naturally point toward Anna Leigh Waters.
The similarities are easy to understand. Both arrived young. Both carried unusually advanced competitive maturity. Both demonstrated fearlessness against older professionals almost immediately.
Still, Hendershot does not feel like a copy of anyone else.
Her left-handed style changes the dynamic completely. Her baseline aggression creates a different rhythm. Her personality also feels distinct. While many young stars enter professional sports carrying visible pressure, Hendershot often looks remarkably steady and emotionally balanced during difficult matches. Even when facing elite opponents, she rarely appears rattled.
For veteran players watching her development, the ceiling becomes difficult to predict.
The Future Arrives Early
One reality continues standing out about Elsie Hendershot. She is only 13.
Most professional athletes at that age are years away from competing against adults at the highest levels of their sport. Hendershot is already doing it while learning inside one of Major League Pickleball’s premier organizations.
Her 2026 schedule alone reflects how quickly her career is accelerating, with appearances planned across multiple MLP tour stops and continued competition on the PPA Tour.
The scary part for the rest of the field is how unfinished her game still is. She is still growing physically. Still refining patterns. Still gaining experience. Still learning how to navigate professional competition.
Yet despite all of that, veteran professionals already speak about her as someone capable of becoming one of the sport’s future stars. Inside pickleball circles, very few people seem willing to bet against her.
The Pickleball Editorial Team produces in-depth reporting and cover features that examine the sport’s growth, innovation, competition, and culture. With contributors who understand both the strategy of the game and the forces shaping its future, the team is committed to telling the full story of modern pickleball.
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