Recently, Andre Agassi used pickleball and tennis as analogies to highlight the differences in difficulty between the two racket sports.
On Sunday, February 4, Agassi and his spouse Steffi Graf will face the combo of John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova in the second Pickleball Slam of the season.
The Wall Street Journal, an American daily, had an interview with the eight-time Grand Slam winner before the exhibition. Andre Agassi was informed during the conversation about pickleball’s demonization by tennis enthusiasts. The 53-year-old showed his appreciation for the previous sport by saying that tennis clubs now have new sources of revenue from paddle sports.
In addition, he was unambiguous about the allure of pickleball, stating that it was a fun sport for senior citizens.
“Listen, I think pickleball and tennis can play very happily in the same sandbox. I’ve seen pickleball take tennis clubs that were on the verge of going under and bring them alive again,” Andre Agassi said.
“Tennis is, I think, the most demanding racket sport that exists. What can you do at 50-plus years old and still get better at? I love to say this about pickleball,” he added.
At Pickleball Slam 2, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf might win a $1 million purse.
Andre Agassi has been training in preparation for his match against Steffi Graf in the second Pickleball Slam, scheduled to take place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Before their match in the exhibition tournament, which offers a $1 million prize to the victorious team, the American has also traded barbs with John McEnroe.
“On February 4th, Groundhog Day, it’s going to come early this year because I’m going to make John [McEnroe] relive his defeat to me all over again,” Agassi said in an Instagram video last week.
Agassi was alluding to his defeat at the Pickleball Slam’s inaugural event in March, which came at the hands of John McEnroe. The eight-time Major champion faced McEnroe and Michael Chang in a partnership with Andy Roddick.
In the opening singles sets of the exhibition, McEnroe defeated Agassi 15-13, 16-14, and Roddick defeated Chang 15-10, 15-10, to restore parity. Andre and Roddick prevailed 21-15, 21-23, 12-10 to win the winner-take-all doubles match and earn $1 million in prize money.