In the pickleball v. padel rivalry, Andre Agassi has landed on the side of pickleball – whereas his contemporary on the ATP tour, Pat Rafter, is now a padel pro.
Agassi’s interest in the pickleball game was formalised this year through his endorsement of the Agassi x JOOLA paddle.
He was recently in Sydney playing a little pickleball at a UBS Financial Services conference.
Shortly after, he headed to Munich for ISPO 2024, a massive trade fair featuring trends and technical innovations in sports and the associated health areas.
Again he took to the pickleball court and showed his skills; perhaps not quite on the same level as when he won his eight grand slams in tennis.
Photo: Thomas Plettenberg
Agassi arrived in Germany with his wife Steffi Graf, the winner of 22 grand slam titles, including The Golden Slam in 1998 – all four grand slam singles titles plus an Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year. No other player has ever won The Golden Slam.
“I thought I was a world-class tennis player until I met my wife,” said Agassi in Munich. “Then my performance no longer seemed so world-class.”
Asked how he thought he would have gone in his prime against Carlos Alcaraz, he replied, “Maybe I would have had a small chance against him. But tennis has changed a lot over the years…
“He’s young but has the power of an adult and then the soft hands of Roger Federer. And he has the speed and defence like Novak Djokovic. It’s all rolled up in the one player.”
Title photo of Andre Agassi at ISPO 2024 by Thomas Plettenberg