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Ahead of their singles clash at the Pickleball Slam, Andre Agassi made a tongue-in-cheek comment that he would never participate in another sport if he were to lose against John McEnroe.
The two tennis legends won two matches each against one another in their playing days and are all set to renew their rivalry for the first time since 1992. Only this time, it would be on a pickleball court with hard polymer balls that have a much lower bounce than tennis balls.
Grand Slam champions Agassi, McEnroe, Andy Roddick, and Michael Chang will join forces for the first-ever Pickleball Slam at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, on April 2.
The two singles clashes will see Agassi take on McEnroe and Roddick face Chang. Agassi and Roddick will team up to square off against McEnroe and Chang in a doubles contest.
Speaking to the News Times recently, eight-time Major winner Agassi jokingly suggested that he was lucky not to be partnering with McEnroe because of the latter's attitude.
As far as facing McEnroe in a singles match, the 52-year-old again joked that he would never pick up a racket if he lost against the seven-time Grand Slam champion.
"Thank God. I would have taken Roddick or Chang," Agassi said. "You cannot put me on the same team with McEnroe and have to manage pickleball and his attitude. If I don't beat [McEnroe], I may never pick up another racket in any sport again."
The 1996 Olympic gold medalist expressed his excitement for the event, adding that playing pickleball against his rivals was an excuse for him to stay in shape and competitive.
"It's an excuse for me to get in better shape, fire up my competitive juices, and it's a platform to do it against people that have added to my career and also taken away from my career. There's a huge curiosity and speculation as to how our skills will translate, and it will be a great time at Hard Rock Live," he added.
Pickleball is a lot quicker than you realize: Andre Agassi
In his interview with the News Times, Andre Agassi revealed that he started preparing for the Pickleball Slam in February. He added that quick decision-making was essential to excelling at the sport, which was not as easy as it looked.
"My prep really started in February, playing two to three times per week, trying to manage the risk profile of shot selections," Agassi said. "In February and early March, I started to throw some singles into the equation."
"It's interesting, there are a lot of decisions to make in a hurry. The game looks slow from the outside, but when you're charged with those decisions, it happens a lot quicker than you realize," he added.
Ahead of the event, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, and Michael Chang exchanged light-hearted banters with each other.
