logo
Tennis legend Andre Agassi to make pro pickleball debut in doubles match with Anna Leigh Waters

Tennis legend Andre Agassi to make pro pickleball debut in doubles match with Anna Leigh Waters

Yahoo08-05-2025
Tennis legend Andre Agassi is ready for his next challenge. Agassi — an eight-time Grand Slam winner in tennis — is now taking his talents to pro pickleball.
Agassi will make his pro pickleball debut at the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships in Naples, Fla. on April 30. He's teaming up with the biggest star in the sport, 18-year-old Anna Leigh Waters, as part of the doubles match.
Want to know how to make pro pickleball more mainstream? THIS. MORE OF THIS.📍@AndreAgassi @AnnaLeighWaters @usopenpicklebal pic.twitter.com/V9Vs2wtoJA
— The Kitchen Pickleball 👨🏻‍🍳 (@TheKitchenPB) April 22, 2025
Agassi is no stranger to pickleball. In 2023, he took part in the Pickleball Slam. The event — which also featured Michael Chang, John McEnroe and Andy Roddick — marked the first time pickleball was broadcast on ESPN.
Since then, Agassi has apparently developed an affinity for the sport. In March, he released his own pro pickleball paddle with JOOLA.
Waters is considered the best pickleball player in the world. She is currently ranked as the top singles, doubles and mixed player in the world. Waters has been a mainstay in the sport since 2019, when she was just 12 years old. Her aggressive play style is credited with changing the way pros play pickleball, and is the reason Waters wanted to team up with Agassi for the event. Agassi was considered an aggressive tennis player in his prime.
The U.S. Open Pickleball Championships will begin Saturday and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. Agassi and Waters are expected to take the court at noon ET.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

SMU's Rhett Lashlee slams ESPN over ‘rigged' college football rankings
SMU's Rhett Lashlee slams ESPN over ‘rigged' college football rankings

New York Post

time30 minutes ago

  • New York Post

SMU's Rhett Lashlee slams ESPN over ‘rigged' college football rankings

Rhett Lashlee isn't hiding what he thinks is ESPN favoritism to the Big Ten and SEC. The SMU coach is calling it out again. Back in June, ESPN released its Football Power Index rankings. It is aimed to offer 'measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season.' ACC teams Miami and Clemson opened at No. 9 and No. 11, respectively. Lashlee's SMU came in at No. 20, following the Mustangs' 11-3 season that led to a surprise berth in the College Football Playoff. SMU football coach Rhett Lashlee. Getty Images On Friday, as the season nears, ESPN updated those rankings. Although nothing has changed, ACC schools Miami and Clemson both fell to No. 17 and No. 16, respectively. SMU actually moved up a spot, to No. 19. So, what changed, you may ask? 'Because the whole thing is rigged,' the SMU coach wrote on X. Last season, Lashlee had similar remarks, questioning the idea that the ACC and Big 12 couldn't compete with the Big Ten and SEC. He called the SEC 'top-heavy.' Rhett Lashlee called ESPN's Football Power Index rankings 'rigged.' Icon Sportswire via Getty Images 'There's other leagues that claim depth,' Lashlee said then. 'The SEC has had the same six schools win the championship since 1964. Same six. Not a single one has been different since 1964. That's top-heavy to me. That's not depth.' Hopefully, SMU can build off its strong season. That would likely result in more of the head coach's shots at ESPN and the big two conferences. Added spice is always good for the sport.

"If I never speak to him again in life, I'm good with it" - Stephen A. Smith says he is ready to put LeBron in the rearview mirror
"If I never speak to him again in life, I'm good with it" - Stephen A. Smith says he is ready to put LeBron in the rearview mirror

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

"If I never speak to him again in life, I'm good with it" - Stephen A. Smith says he is ready to put LeBron in the rearview mirror

"If I never speak to him again in life, I'm good with it" - Stephen A. Smith says he is ready to put LeBron in the rearview mirror originally appeared on Basketball Network. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith addressed his beef with Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James during an appearance on the "Gil's Arena" podcast. Smith reiterated that he and James don't like each other and that he doesn't think anyone can mediate between them to settle their issue. Stephen A. also emphasized that whatever he has with LeBron is purely professional and nothing personal because, as a basketball analyst, it is his job to talk about the NBA, and at his workplace, there are directives to discuss particular topics and subjects. "I don't talk about him unless I'm asked," said Smith. "Some people say, 'Well, why do you talk about him?' Cause I was asked. This is what I do for a living, so how the hell do I get away with saying 'No comment?' I have no desire to talk about him at all." SAS says LeBron is out to destroy him According to Smith, James is the second-best basketball player of all time, behind only the GOAT, Michael Jeffrey Jordan. He praised The King for being an "incredible ambassador" to the game of basketball and admitted that his respect is "earned, not given." However, that's just for King James on the basketball court. Off the court, Stephen A. suggested that Bron is someone who doesn't handle criticism well and often takes it personally. Without going into specifics, Smith claimed that James and his team have been working to tear down the reputation he spent years building. "People don't know the things that have happened behind the scenes, the kind of things that have been engaged in an effort to hurt me. There's a lot of s–t that I know that I don't say. Then, to go on The Pat McAfee Show, which comes on directly after my show on the channel that I work on, to insult me. But if I never ever speak to him again in life, I'm good with it," the renowned analyst got "too personal" It can be recalled that Smith had Bronny James as content on his show almost every day during the 2025-26 season. To his credit, the elder James never paid any attention to what Smith said about Bronny's game or performances. However, Stephen A. got too personal with his now infamous "As a father, I'm pleading you to stop" statement. LeBron took offense with that and confronted Smith courtside during a Lakers game at Arena and said some things to the "First Take" host that Smith described as "aren't suited for FCC airwaves." That incident touched Smith's ego and triggered him to go on what James mocked as his version of Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour", trying to defend himself and explain his side of the beef. Then James appeared on Pat McAfee's Show and fired shots at Smith, which further infuriated the ESPN host. It has been five months since their courtside confrontation. LeBron seems to have moved on after Smith stopped talking about Bronny on his show. Stephen A. looks like he has, too, and only talks about their beef when asked. It also helps that he admits he's fine with never speaking to Bron again, since it's clear James isn't interested in giving him any more story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 17, 2025, where it first appeared.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store