Andre Agassi is the latest — and greatest — of the former professional tennis players to compete in professional pickleball.
The eight-time Grand Slam champion will team up with 18-year-old Anna Leigh Waters at the U.S. Pickleball Championships that begin Friday in Naples, Fla. Agassi joins the likes of former pro tennis players Genie Bouchard, Jack Sock, Sam Querrey and Donald Young in entering a professional pickleball competition.
Agassi, 54, will have a significant leg up by pairing with Waters, the No. 1-ranked player in the world who has already amassed 173 PPA titles, including 148 golds across singles, doubles and mixed doubles. She enters the event as the defending women’s doubles and mixed pro doubles champion, having won the latter with Ben Johns in 2024.
Waters did not have a mixed doubles partner for this year’s U.S. Open, and said the idea of teaming with Agassi came to her while watching him play pickleball on YouTube.
“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,” Agassi said ahead of the tournament.
Agassi has become a spokesperson for the sport, which he enjoys for its social and inclusive nature.
“Andre’s goals are to grow the sport of pickleball, and that’s a huge goal of mine,” Waters said. “I thought if we partnered together, this would be a really awesome way to grow the sport.”
SCHEDULE
While Agassi and Waters won’t take to the court until next week, the event opens on Friday with Future Stars Kid’s Day. The Junior Championships begin with girls and boys doubles along with mixed doubles on Saturday, followed by girls and boys singles and the mixed doubles 16-18 gold match on Sunday.
The professional side of things begins on Sunday with the women’s and men’s split pro events, which feature teams that include one player 49 years old or younger and one who is 50 years or older.
The mixed split pro takes place on Monday, which is also when the men’s and women’s pro singles brackets begin play along with each of the doubles competitions.
The Round of 32 takes place on Tuesday, the Round of 16 on Wednesday and the quarterfinals on Thursday, May 1.
The pro semifinals are scheduled for Friday, May 2, with CBS Sports beginning its coverage at 12 p.m. ET. The network will also broadcast live coverage of the pro finals beginning at noon on Saturday, May 3.
PRIZE MONEY
The singles champions will take home $6,000 apiece, with silver earning $3,000, bronze $1,400, fourth place $850 and fifth through eighth place earning $300.
The gold winning teams for each of the three doubles brackets will split $15,200 paydays. Silver teams split $7,600, bronze $3,800, fourth place $1,700 and fifth through eighth $550 apiece.
For the three split age brackets, gold teams will win $3,000, silver $1,500 and bronze $750.
–Field Level Media
