Andre Agassi tells Fox News he's 'loving' pickleball journey after US Open debut

Alex Lantz

Director of Content

Last Edited

May 09 2025

Category

News

Andre Agassi recently gave an interview to Fox News detailing his rising interest in everything pickleball and looking back on his professional debut at the U.S. Open last month.

The eight-time tennis Grand Slam winner teamed up with world No. 1 women's player Anna Leigh Waters and defeated 13-year-old Stevie Petropouleas and 16-year-old Tristan Dussault 11-8, 9-11, 11-7 in the Round of 32 at the annual event that has been hosted in Naples, Florida, since 2016. They later lost to Trang Huynh-McClain and Len Yang 7-11, 11-4, 11-7 in the Round of 16.

"Dude, I'm not just liking it, I'm loving it," Agassi said of his involvement in pickleball in the Fox News Digital interview. "It's an anomaly to see any support ever at this kind of pace, but it's easy to see why. My family was looking for things to do, and watching how like bring people together, generations together, how it breaks cultural barriers, breaks down gender barriers, breaks down generational barriers, low-point of entry, nobody's intimated to try it, it's challenging at every level. Tell me when to stop, for crying out loud."

Agassi has been involved in pickleball for the past several years, but seems to be taking the sport much more seriously in 2025. He and his wife, Steffi Graf, released a signature line of paddles with JOOLA earlier this year, and the 55-year-old Agassi also has been promoting the sport along with Life Time fitness clubs nationwide.

He's the chair of Life Time's pickleball and tennis board and also hosted the Inaugural Agassi Open Play Day in April, inviting pickleball players all over the country to play at their local Life Time club.

Despite his tennis success, Agassi said pickleball has been a difficult challenge as he's tried to move up in skill level.

"It's really hard. These guys are so specialized, it's so sensitive, such little margin for error," Agassi said. "There's so much nuance that creates opportunity. It's not like ‘see space, hit space.’ There was a lot I had to unlearn, but some things came instinctively. I grew up with a racket in my hand, and in this case it's a paddle, so I'm going to make good contact. But the blood pressure, it's hard to find a place to put it when you're out there on the pickle court."

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