Andre Agassi Had A Mixed Pickleball Debut At The U.S. Open In Naples

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 on Wednesday 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 breaking news after Agassi’s participation, it is not a recognized 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 edition and 2025 has seen ticket sales rise by almost a third in the first seven competitions of the year on the PPA circuit.

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 six-time major 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.

The power of pickleball has even got to Adidas which has increased its presence in the market with an aggressive re-entry by signing number one men’s seed in singles and doubles, Federico Staksrud at the beginning of 2025.

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.