Pickleball Slam 3: Paddle Up

Agassi, Graf, Roddick and Bouchard vie for domination at the Duel in the Desert

Pickleball is not just the fastest growing sport in the U.S. It’s fast becoming a way of life for the pickleball faithful, with nets springing up across the country and court complexes in Florida that can accommodate dozens of matches. Former tennis legends such as Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Andy Roddick and Eugenie Bouchard have acquired a taste for the pickleball paddle, enough so that they will be competing for a $1 million purse at Sunday’s Pickleball Slam 3: The Duel in the Desert.

Back-to-back Pickleball Slam champion Agassi participated in the inaugural Slam in April 2023 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s Hard Rock Live in Hollywood Fla. alongside Roddick, John McEnroe and Michal Chang. Defending champion Graf and Maria Sharapova joined Agassi and McEnroe last April for Pickleball Slam 2, with both events drawing high ratings on ESPN and serving as milestones for how far the sport has come since its humble origins.

The combination of badminton, tennis and table tennis was devised by Washington State politician John Pritchard in 1965 after his children were unable to find shuttlecocks for the family’s badminton net and a whiffle ball was substituted instead. Pritchard fashioned some paddles from wood in his workshop, refined the rules and watched as the sport grew from a neighborhood phenomenon info a regional fad by the mid-’70s.

Now there are dedicated pickleball courts, public and private, where novices can learn the basics and find out if they have the right stuff to go professional. There are governing bodies, professional leagues and tournament tours. The Vlasic pickle company has lent its name to Vlasic Classic pickleball events, and now sells dill-flavored Pickle Balls corn puffs. The momentum is unstoppable.

Whether pickleball’s popularity supersedes that of traditional tennis remains to be seen, but McEnroe has shown audiences will fill seats to witness some serious competition mixed with occasional crowd-pleasing antics (paddle breaking, loud judgement disputing). Agassi and Graf have risen to the top, both as single players and doubles players, and will be taking on Roddick and Bouchard for the final match.

Agassi goes head to head with Roddick during the first match, while Graf faces off against Bouchard in a doubles match that teams them up with special guests yet to be announced. She and Agassi proved to be a devastating combination against McEnroe and Sharapova during Slam 2 and can only have improved in the ensuing time.

Regardless of the outcomes Pickleball Slam 3 can only help draw more attention to the sport, which is being lobbied for inclusion in the Olympics. A pipeline of competitors from professional tennis can’t hurt either, as pro pickleballers such as Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters have yet to become household names.

Meanwhile Slam 3 makes for a good introduction to pickleball, with exciting action and easy-to-understand play. For the uninitiated, think of a giant ping-pong table that players stand on and smack a hollow, hole-filled ball back and forth over a net with underhanded serving. Pickleball, anyone?

Pickleball Slam 3: The Duel in the Desert
Michelob ULTRA Arena, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
Sun, Feb 16, 1 pm