By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Photo credit: Laver Cup Facebook
Andre Agassi is committed to playing the US Open.
The US Open Pickleball Championships this weekend.
Hall of Famer Agassi, a two-time tennis US Open champion, announced he will make his pro pickleball debut at the US Open Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida.
Former world No. 1 Aagassi will partner 18-year-old Anna Leigh Waters with their opening match set for Saturday, April 30th at noon. The match will be televised by CBS Sports Network.
“She’s probably sick of winning so much, and that’s why she called me and asked me to play,” Agassi joked of his partner, who is one of pickleball’s top stars, in an interview with CNBC today.
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Tennis great Andre Agassi to play his first pro pickleball tournament with No. 1 player Waters https://t.co/IkupYwSyHO
— CNBC (@CNBC) April 22, 2025
Agassi, who has previously played pickleball exhibition matches alongside wife and fellow Hall of Famer Steffi Graf, told CNBC he has no plans to pursue a full-time pro pickleball career.
“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,” Agassi told CNBC. “I’m in a different season now.”
The 54-year-old Agassi will succeed buddy John McEnroe and take over as Team World captain at the 2025 Laver Cup in San Francisco.
His pickleball partner Waters said she scouted Agassi’s game before asking him to partner at this weekend’s US Open.
“We both tend to err on the aggressive side, and I think that works,” Waters said. “Andre’s goals are to grow the sport of pickleball, and that’s a huge goal of mine.
“I thought if we partnered together, this would be a really awesome way to grow the sport.”
