Andrre Agassi, one of the greatest tennis players in the history of American tennis, has just surprised when officially launched in the professional Pickleball tournament – the development of the explosive sport in the US.
At the age of 55, Agassi entered the professional playground at the US Open Pickleball Championships 2025 held in Naples, Florida and won right in the first match.
Agassi played in the content of men and women, combined with Anna Leigh Waters, the world's No. 1 female player of the PPA system. Although the age difference is nearly 40 years old, the couple still creates a good and effective performance. They have overcome a pair of young American athletes who are only 13 and 16 years old with score 11-8, 9-11, 11-7-an impressive victory not only by the ratio, but also because of the unexpected appearance of Agassi on this new playground.
After the match, Agassi modestly shared that he had no intention of pursuing a serious Pickleball career. “I do not have enough time and energy as I was playing professionally,” he said. However, the legend of the Grand Slam champion has also admitted that Pickleball has become a part of everyday life, when he and his wife – legendary Steffi Graf – plays this subject almost every week.
Agassi also revealed that Anna Leigh Waters himself invited him to play with the humorous reason: “She said I would help balance her win rate.” In fact, this is a very strong image push for Pickleball – a sport that combines tennis, table tennis and badminton, which is growing rapidly with more than 13 million players in the US.
After retiring in the US expanded 2006, Agassi kept contact with sports through many different roles, from charity to commentators for TNT Sports. The fact that he switched to Pickleball not only showed the attraction of this sport, but also a testament to unlimited passion for sports by age.
With the appearance of big names like Agassi, Pickleball is no longer just a temporary trend, but is gradually shaping as an integral part of modern American sports culture. And at the age of 55, Agassi continued to prove that the passion for competition never ended – whether on the tennis court or Pickleball.