Latest news with #USOpenPickleballChampionships
Forbes
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Andre Agassi Makes His Pro Pickleball Debut
NAPLES, FLORIDA - APRIL 30: Andre Agassi hits a backhand drive shot against Tristan Dussault and ... More Stevie Petropouleas during the 2025 US Open Pickleball Championships Pro Mixed Doubles round of 16 game at East Naples Community Park on April 30, 2025 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by) Tennis Hall of Famer Andre Agassi has been making serious inroads into the burgeoning world of pickleball, both personally and professionally, over the last several years. This past week, he took another big step in terms of pickleball involvement by entering a pro event for the first time. For those not familiar with Agassi's mostly behind the scenes involvement, we'll review what he's done so far then take an analytical look at the state of his debut on the court. He and wife Steffi Graf picked up the sport several years ago, and as retired tennis pros they had racquet skills that immediately translated. They also, frankly, just enjoyed the sport. Agassi said he was originally drawn to pickleball because of its social, inclusive nature. Inevitably people started to capitalize on that fun aspect of the sport, and Agassi was called upon to participate. Agassi first appeared the 2024 made-for-TV Pickleball Slam event held in Vegas against fellow retired tennis pros John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, and Michael Chang. In 2025 he got his fellow Hall of Famer wife involved in a set of mixed doubles actions with Roddick and another tennis-to-pickleball convert Genie Bouchard. Then Agassi got a bit more serious with his involvement. First, in January 2024 Agassi was part of an investment group that acquired a controlling interest in DUPR, the leading rating system used in the sport. A month later, he was named to be the Inaugural Chair of a Life Time Board that focused on growth of both Pickleball and Tennis. In August 2024, he partnered with the leading Pickleball paddle manufacturer Joola to produce Agassi-labeled paddles and accessories. In December Agassi traveled to Dubai to take part (on behalf of DUPR) in the Pickleball World Rankings (PWR) kickoff event. Lastly, in March of 2025, Agassi and Graf joined all of Joola's top sponsored pros in a tour of Asian cities promoting the sport. One would believe that a 55-year old retired millionaire athlete would be satisfied with behind the scenes contributions, helping to grow the sport from more of a corporate level. However, the competitive nature of Agassi led to his biggest foray into the sport yet: this week he made his professional pickleball debut at one of the largest events on the annual pickleball calendar: the US Open. His partner? None other than the current No. 1 ranked Anna Leigh Waters. Here's a recap of their debut match, which was broadcast live on CBS Sports Network on April 30th. 'When Anna Leigh Waters calls, you say yes,' said Agassi at a press conference prior to their match. Waters famously played with another pro tennis convert in his first pro event in Jack Sock, helping Sock to win his Pro Mixed Doubles debut at the 2023 North Carolina Open (to date, Sock's only gold medal on tour). However, playing with a recently retired tennis player in his early 30s was a different ask than playing with a mid-50s 5.0-level player (Agassi's DUPR is 5.43, though he has barely any registered results). Winning a title against a strong field of APP and challenger-level pros at the US Open would be a tall task. In their opening match, Agassi & Waters fared off against two Florida-based teenagers Stevie Petropouleas (age 13) & Tristan Dussault (age 16). If the youngsters had any nerves, they really didn't show. Waters & Agassi began the match playing a conventional mixed setup, with the male on the left, thus putting Agassi's forehand in the middle of the court. This is a common configuration for Waters with her regular pro Mixed partner Ben Johns, who dominates in the middle but allows for Waters' adept swinging backhand volley in the middle to attack and poach as needed. Dussault & Petropouleas opened the match with a simple strategy: hit everything to Andre. Agassi received nearly every service return and the bulk of the dinks & volleys at the net. He handled the pressure well, choosing for a 3rd-shot drive strategy versus attempting to dink for success, and when volleys came back to him he was very adept at resets from the middle of the court, hitting 5th shot dinks frequently and successfully. Agassi struggled a bit with shots at his feet and made some dinking errors, but otherwise played solidly. Halfway through the first game the pair switched sides, in reaction to the clear recognition that Agassi was getting isolated. Agassi showed great skill at the net in hands battles, and was able to handle the pace coming from Dussault. Agassi hit more than a few groundstroke and volley winners right through the middle between his opponents, drawing from decades of his tennis stroke doing the same. Andre didn't try to do too much with the serve, which is a major area where the pro game is differentiating itself from the 5.0/top amateur game. The pair ground out an 11-8 first game win. In game two, the teenagers settled down a bit, cut down on their unforced errors and got ahead early. The Waters/Agassi partnership ground out rallies but the teenagers persevered and tied the match. Midway through game three, Agassi was clearly winded from playing in the oppressive Florida humidity, but after an amazing rally at 7-7 in the third the teenagers capitulated and Waters/Agassi were able to win and move forward. The pair lost in the next round to Trang Huynh-McClain & Len Yang as Agassi couldn't handle the pressure in the end from the more advanced Yang (a 5.8 DUPR with a slew of PPA tour experience). My verdict: Agassi's game looks great for a 55yr old, and I think he'd have great success if he were inclined to play on the Champion's tour. The fact of the matter is, if you're a top-level tennis player (i.e. if you hold a UTR right now in the 10-12 range) you're almost automatically a 4.5 pickleball player the moment you pick up a paddle. Agassi's success in pro tennis and his love of the challenge has made him a darn good pickleball player, and I hope to see him competing again soon. Meanwhile, we await his next industry move as he becomes more involved with the sport. If you missed either Agassi match, you can watch the replay of their opening match from CBS Sports Net's archives or go to Pickleball Channel's YouTube feed at the 3hr 59min mark for their round of 16 match.
Independent Singapore
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
From tennis to pro pickleball: Tennis legend Andre Agassi eliminated in the second match of a US Open Pickleball event
FLORIDA: Former tennis world No. 1 Andre Agassi's debut in professional pickleball came to an early exit at the US Open Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida. He teamed up with top pickleball player Anna Leigh Waters in the mixed pro division of the event. He won his first match but was eliminated in the second round. Agassi and Waters opened their game with a hard-fought 11-8, 9-11, 11-7 victory over Stevie Petropouleas and Tristan Dussault. However, they were defeated by Len Yang and Trang Huynh-McClain in their second match with a final scoreline of 11-7, 4-11, 7-11. Despite the early exit, Agassi's appearance in his new sport drew attention and excitement, as fans were eager to see how his tennis skills would translate to the fast-growing sport of pickleball. On partnering up with Waters Ahead of the tournament, Agassi had high praises for his partner, Anna Leigh Waters, and called her an exceptional talent. The 18-year-old is currently the No. 1-ranked pickleball player in the world, and Agassi expressed excitement about teaming up with someone like her. He admitted: ' She's right up there with the greatest ever in what she does and the idea of challenging myself to not screw things up for her is daunting.' In a social media post, Agassi shared: 'What an incredible day at the @usopenpickleball! Thank you to the incomparable @ You are an absolute force on the court and a joy to partner with—she is such a special talent. Thank you to @usopenpickleball team: Bob, Ben, and Nick, the fans who packed the stands, and my family for coming out to support you made this experience unforgettable. Also, thanks to @travisrettenmaier for helping me on and off the court. I love this sport and am committed to learn and improve.' Netizens commented on the post and said: 'Let's go! Competed well out there…all of us in the sport are lucky to have you', 'LEGEND!!!!!! So happy to see you on this stage as well!! 👏👏', 'So much fun to watch! Thanks for being such a great ambassador of the sport! 🔥', and 'Just seeing this guy on the court again is awesome. My all time favorite tennis player' What is pickleball? Pickleball has quickly become the fastest-growing sport in the US. It's a mix of tennis, table tennis, and badminton; played on a smaller court; and is easy for people of all ages to learn. It can also be played indoors or outdoors, by one person or in teams of two. Between 2022 and 2023, about 48.3 million American adults tried pickleball at least once, according to the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP). Agassi is no stranger to pickleball, and he's often seen playing the sport with his wife, Steffi Graf, who is also a tennis legend with an outstanding 22 Grand Slam singles titles. The couple, who are icons in tennis, have been playing pickleball in recent years, enjoying it as a fun and competitive way to stay fit. Graf said about her husband: 'He's so good… And he's played a little more, he's physically so much stronger and quicker (than me). His sense for this game, how quickly he picked it up, was absolutely phenomenal to watch…. Not that I didn't see it in the other sports that he's so good at, but he picked it up and he loved the analysis of it, from the beginning on watching videos and other clips…. When he goes out and plays with some of the professionals, he will have very specific questions that he needs answered to get better.' Agassi has become a big fan of pickleball and now helps promote the sport. He declared: 'It's going to grow like you can't even imagine.'
CNN
01-05-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Tennis legend Andre Agassi ousted in second US Open Pickleball match
Former tennis world No. 1 Andre Agassi's pro pickleball debut at the US Open Pickleball Championships has come to an end, after he and partner Anna Leigh Waters fell in their second match to Len Yang and Trang Huynh-McClain. Agassi – an eight-time grand slam singles champion on the tennis court – and Waters clinched a victory in their first match over Stevie Petropouleas and Tristan Dussault with a 11-8, 9-11, 11-7 win in the mixed pro division on Wednesday in Naples, Florida. But the winning start, which marked the 55-year-old Agassi's pro debut in the sport, was short-lived with the dynamic duo losing out in their next match to Yang and Huynh-McClain in three sets: 11-7, 4-11, 7-11. Agassi had nothing but praise for Waters – the 18 year old No. 1-ranked player in the world – ahead of the tournament, saying: 'She's right up there with the greatest ever in what she does and the idea of challenging myself to not screw things up for her is daunting,' per Reuters. Once relatively niche, pickleball – a mashup of tennis, table tennis and badminton that can be played indoors or outdoors, by single players or in pairs – now claims to be the United States' fastest-growing sport. An estimated 48.3 million adults played it at least once between 2022 and 2023, according to the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP), which is nearly 19% of the total US population. Agassi has been known to play the sport alongside his wife, 22-time grand slam singles title winner Steffi Graf. 'He's so good,' she told CNN Sports earlier this year. 'And he's played a little more, he's physically so much stronger and quicker (than me). His sense for this game, how quickly he picked it up, was absolutely phenomenal to watch. 'Not that I didn't see it in the other sports that he's so good at, but he picked it up and he loved the analysis of it, from the beginning on watching videos and other clips. When he goes out and plays with some of the professionals, he will have very specific questions that he needs answered to get better.' Since discovering his love for pickleball, Agassi has become a vocal advocate of the sport. Promoting the game in India recently, he defended tennis as 'the most difficult racket sport in the world' but lauded pickleball as a more accessible alternative. 'It's going to grow like you can't even imagine,' Agassi said, adding that he could 'absolutely' see pickleball at the Olympics. However, regardless of his aptitude for the sport, Agassi is unlikely to be pursuing full-time pro status anytime soon. 'If I had the luxury of bandwidth to focus all my energy on just playing and body recovery and all that stuff, that would be a joy. But I don't. I'm in a different season now,' he said, per Reuters. CNN's George Ramsay contributed reporting.
CNN
01-05-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Tennis legend Andre Agassi ousted in second US Open Pickleball match
Former tennis world No. 1 Andre Agassi's pro pickleball debut at the US Open Pickleball Championships has come to an end, after he and partner Anna Leigh Waters fell in their second match to Len Yang and Trang Huynh-McClain. Agassi – an eight-time grand slam singles champion on the tennis court – and Waters clinched a victory in their first match over Stevie Petropouleas and Tristan Dussault with a 11-8, 9-11, 11-7 win in the mixed pro division on Wednesday in Naples, Florida. But the winning start, which marked the 55-year-old Agassi's pro debut in the sport, was short-lived with the dynamic duo losing out in their next match to Yang and Huynh-McClain in three sets: 11-7, 4-11, 7-11. Agassi had nothing but praise for Waters – the 18 year old No. 1-ranked player in the world – ahead of the tournament, saying: 'She's right up there with the greatest ever in what she does and the idea of challenging myself to not screw things up for her is daunting,' per Reuters. Once relatively niche, pickleball – a mashup of tennis, table tennis and badminton that can be played indoors or outdoors, by single players or in pairs – now claims to be the United States' fastest-growing sport. An estimated 48.3 million adults played it at least once between 2022 and 2023, according to the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP), which is nearly 19% of the total US population. Agassi has been known to play the sport alongside his wife, 22-time grand slam singles title winner Steffi Graf. 'He's so good,' she told CNN Sports earlier this year. 'And he's played a little more, he's physically so much stronger and quicker (than me). His sense for this game, how quickly he picked it up, was absolutely phenomenal to watch. 'Not that I didn't see it in the other sports that he's so good at, but he picked it up and he loved the analysis of it, from the beginning on watching videos and other clips. When he goes out and plays with some of the professionals, he will have very specific questions that he needs answered to get better.' Since discovering his love for pickleball, Agassi has become a vocal advocate of the sport. Promoting the game in India recently, he defended tennis as 'the most difficult racket sport in the world' but lauded pickleball as a more accessible alternative. 'It's going to grow like you can't even imagine,' Agassi said, adding that he could 'absolutely' see pickleball at the Olympics. However, regardless of his aptitude for the sport, Agassi is unlikely to be pursuing full-time pro status anytime soon. 'If I had the luxury of bandwidth to focus all my energy on just playing and body recovery and all that stuff, that would be a joy. But I don't. I'm in a different season now,' he said, per Reuters. CNN's George Ramsay contributed reporting.
Forbes
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Andre Agassi Had A Mixed Pickleball Debut At the U.S. Open in Naples
NAPLES, FLORIDA - APRIL 30: Andre Agassi hits a backhand drive shot against Tristan Dussault and ... More Stevie Petropouleas during the 2025 US Open Pickleball Championships Pro Mixed Doubles round of 16 game at East Naples Community Park on April 30, 2025 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by) There's nothing a tennis crowd loves more than watching legends make a comeback. Roger Federer recently announced that he's eyeing exhibitions when ready to roll. Meanwhile, Andre Agassi has taken a left turning at 55 years of age to make a pro debut at the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida. Agassi teamed up with Anna Leigh Waters to win against two teenagers with a combined age of 29 in a tight match that went to three sets before losing in the evening session. They pack the matches in at pickleball. "Tennis was relief, pickleball is joy, this is absolute joy,' said Agassi after overcoming 13-year-old Stevie Petropouleas and 16-year-old Tristan Dussault. While The U.S. Open is the breaking news after Agassi's participation, it is not an established event on the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) tour. Waters is the best player in the world for singles, doubles and mixed doubles with a gargantuan 174 PPA titles to her name. Agassi, who won eight tennis slams, joked to CNBC on signing to the partnership: "She's probably sick of winning so much, and that's why she called me and asked me to play.' The pair were among 3,500 participants from all 50 states and 40 countries competing in junior, amateur and pro divisions. The real 'Super Bowl' of pickleball is held in Dallas at the World Championships this November. The tournament greeted over 57,000 fans in the 2024 event and 2025 has seen ticket sales rise by almost a third in the first seven established events of the year on the PPA tour. Pickleball is currently enjoying its status as the fastest-growing sport in the United States for the fourth successive year. Agassi is one of several former tennis players who have taken up the game. Former ATP stars Jack Sock, Donald Young, John Isner and Sam Querrey are among those who have transitioned to the proper professional ranks of the sport. Former world No. 4 James Blake and five-time Slam champion Kim Clijsters are also co-owners of Major League Pickleball teams. Clijsters joined up with NFL Legend Tom Brady to invest in the Las Vegas Night Owls in 2022. When former legends appear with a pickleball paddle in their hands, does the dopamine hit go public? The answer is yes and no according to sports memorabilia veteran Brandon Steiner. 'If they want to create truly exciting exhibition games that capture public attention, they need high-profile contemporary celebrities that resonate with younger demographics,' said Steiner, who bought the Old Yankees Stadium to expand his collectibles empire. There have been three iterations of the Pickleball Slam which Agassi and his wife, 22-time singles slam winner Steffi Graf, have won. The Pickleball Slam 2 featured Agassi and Graf against John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova in front of a sold-out crowd of over 4,500 for a $1 million purse with a global ESPN audience. In February, a near sellout crowd of almost 12,000 saw the husband and wife team beat Eugenie Bouchard and Andy Roddick at the Michelob ULTRA Arena. Michelob even featured the sport in its 2025 Super Bowl commercial. The PPA signed up former 2014 Wimbledon ladies' finalist Bouchard in 2023. The Canadian has a huge Instagram following of over two million and it's this kind of public coverage that connects to the younger audience. 'While Agassi's involvement is a positive step, he remains largely unknown to Millennials and Gen Z who represent the future of sports viewership and participation,' said Steiner. Celebrity pickleball events are growing and the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney, Bill Gates and even the Kardashians are playing the game. During last year's Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic even warned that tennis is endangered by its growth. 'If we don't do something about it, as I said, globally or collectively, padel, pickleball in [the] States, they're going to convert all the tennis clubs because……it's just more economical.' Last August, the United States Tennis Association declared that 10 per cent of tennis courts have been repurposed for pickleball. A standard tennis court could realistically accommodate up to four regulation-size pickleball courts. There are now around 70,000 courts in the United States with an increasing amount of leagues and media coverage. "The PPA has a partnership with the Tennis Channel on a 24/7 pickleball channel called "Pickleballtv" - which enjoyed more than 1 one billion minutes watched in 2024. We also have national broadcast windows on FOX, CBS, ESPN2 and more," said Jeff Watson, the VP of Communications for the United Pickleball Association, created after Major League Pickleball and the PPA merged last year. The average salary of a professional is approximately $260,000. FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - APRIL 24: Anna Leigh Waters of the United States poses for a portrait on ... More April 24, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The 16-year-old Waters is currently the No. 1 player in world in women's professional pickleball and competes in all three divisions: Women's Doubles, Mixed Doubles, and Singles. Waters, who started playing pickleball in 2017, became the youngest professional player and tournament champion at the age of 12. (Photo by) The power of pickleball has even got to Adidas which has increased its presence in the market with an aggressive re-entry into the market by signing number one seed in singles and doubles, Federico Staksrud at the beginning of 2025, releasing his signature range of paddles this April. As for future views, there are still hurdles to clear. Pickleball is so easy to access for young and old that it might be a barrier to watching sporting elitism in some ways. 'They have to make pickleball far more compelling for television viewership,' Steiner told me. "Right now, it's not exciting enough to watch - the small court dimensions and slower pace of play create a visual experience that lacks the dynamic athleticism viewers expect from premium sports entertainment.' Even so, some of the courtcraft and reflex volleys are astounding and can hypnotize more than a back of the court tennis rally. There are almost 20 million players out there in the States according to recent figures. "To me, tennis is always the king. But it's easy to play this. That's why my friends play with me all the time,' John McEnroe said of the phenomenon. Pro pickleball isn't such a cakewalk as Agassi just found out.
