When four all-star Hall of Fame professional tennis pros gather on a court, fans take notice. That’s what happened last week when former No. 1 tennis professionals Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick (see throwback photo below) picked up pickleball paddles for the first time to compete against John McEnroe and Michael Chang at the inaugural The Pickleball Slam held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Agassi had fun making videos like the one below in which he describes McEnroe as “someone who beat people by taking their timing away, by stringing his racquets really loose and playing very awkwardly. He never generated pace out there.”
When tennis fans saw the photos and videos above and below, many asked the pros to “please stop and stop it now” and “Stop this nonsense!!! Please!!! Pickleball?? Really? You should play tennis 🎾 or paddle tennis.” Another chimed in: “This is a bad SNL skit.”
McEnroe himself had said some disparaging things about pickleball as he attests to in the video above. But he says he’s getting older and is trying to keep an open mind.
Bonus: Agassi’s wife Steffi Graff was in the audience.
When not on the pickleball court, McEnroe also entertained the Hard Rock hotel and casino crowd by playing his electric guitar (see above).
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