After the spectacular premiere in April this year, the female tennis legends also handed in their business cards in the new trend sport. At Pickleball Slam 2, Maria Sharapova and Steffi Graf will compete alongside John McEnroe and Andre Agassi in Florida in February 2024 for another showdown for $1 million in prize money.
by Dietmar Kaspar
last edited: 07/22/2023, 8:19 p.m
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Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf also work together in pickleball.
It was a real bang when four Grand Slam-decorated racquet giants set out in the spring to pay their respects to a well-funded event in the sport of pickleball, which is booming particularly in the USA. Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick took on John McEnroe and Michael Chang in two singles and one doubles to compete for a $1 million prize, inspired by The Match golf challenge, which pitted Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the first edition. Roddick made up for Agassi’s opening loss to McEnroe by beating Chang and grabbing the winner’s check in doubles with Steffi Graf’s husband.
With the same prize money at the same location, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in north Miami, what option is there for an organizer to give his event even more appeal? The “once” Grand Slam winners Andy Roddick and Michael Chang are replaced by Steffi Graf and Maria Sharapova, who not only bring more glamor to the floor, but also have 27 major trophies together.
The constellation with Agassi and Graf as a model couple in tennis also gives the event additional glamor. Looking back on the past event in Florida, the 53-year-old Agassi is full of anticipation: “After Andy and I were able to get the thing at the first Pickleball Slam, I said that I would play pickleball as long as I could walk. I’m really excited to be able to share this experience with one of the best tennis players, my wife.” The 22-time Grand Slam winner is already shuffling her hooves: “Andre and I can’t wait to compete against John and Maria on the court.”
The broadcasting television station ESPN also wants to take the increased line-up into account. If the premiere event took place in the afternoon, the media authority is hoping for a significant increase in the ratings due to the prime time schedule after the NFL Pro Bowl on February 4, 2024, when a total of 42 Grand Slam titles will be measured on the pickleball court.
2023-07-23 07:55:00
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