Tennis icon Andre Agassi is stepping onto a new kind of court—this time as a professional pickleball player. The former world No. 1 in tennis announced he will make his debut at the Minto US Open Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida.
Agassi is partnering with Anna Leigh Waters, the current top-ranked player on the women’s side in singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. CBS Sports Network will air their first match together on Wednesday, April 30th, at noon EST.
Founded in 2016, the US Open Pickleball Championships has rapidly become a fan favorite, drawing crowds of up to 50,000 spectators annually. Waters was looking for a high profile player to play the event with, as it is one of the biggest events in pickleball each year.
Agassi, known for his fiery style and Grand Slam titles in tennis, joked about being tapped for the partnership, saying, “She’s probably sick of winning so much, and that’s why she called me.” But Waters had done her homework, scouting Agassi through online videos and concluding that their aggressive styles could be a winning combination. “Andre’s goals are to grow the sport of pickleball, and that’s a huge goal of mine,” she said. “I thought if we partnered together, this would be a really…
