Andre Agassi Wins Pickleball Debut Day After 55th Birthday

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Andre Agassi made a splash in his professional pickleball debut just one day after turning 55. He teamed up with 18-year-old Anna Leigh Waters to win against younger opponents Stevie Petropouleas and Tristan Dussault in the mixed pro division at the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships on Wednesday, finishing the match with scores of 11-8, 9-11, 11-7.

Agassi, a renowned eight-time Grand Slam champion, retired from professional tennis in 2006 and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2011. Despite his tennis achievements, he is now exploring the rapidly growing sport of pickleball, which has attracted over 13 million players in the United States.

Before the match, Agassi spoke about the mixture of excitement and nerves he felt, saying, “I have this conflict, like I can’t tell. Is this fun? Is this anxiety?” He acknowledged that many former tennis peers might be keen to see how his transition to pickleball would unfold.

Setting modest goals for his debut, Agassi expressed, “A win for me will be when this is over that Anna Leigh looks at me and says, ‘Do you want to play again?’ That would be cool.” His performance has paved the way for him to continue in the competition, as Agassi and Waters are now set to face Trang Huynh-McClain and Len Fang in the upcoming third round.