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John McEnroe put his trademark sense of humor on display during a hilarious word association game with Maria Sharapova.
McEnroe and Sharapova are set to team up against Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf in the second edition of the Pickleball Slam. The event is set to take place on Feb. 4, 2024, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
With only two months left, promotional activities for the event have intensified, with both teams expressing confidence in their preparedness. During a recent team-building exercise, Sharapova engaged McEnroe in a word association game.
When presented with the term 'pickleball,' the American promptly stated that the racquet sport "sucks," a sentiment that Sharapova acknowledged as a "fair" judgment. McEnroe then stated that the 'kitchen' rules in pickleball were "sort of bullsh*t."
When describing Sharapova, the seven-time Grand Slam champion called her his "protege," which elicited a humorous response from the Russian.
"What? I'm 36, no longer," Sharapova said, via Pickleball Slam's official YouTube account (02:25).
"To me, you're a protege," McEnroe responded.
McEnroe then graciously referred to Steffi Graf as a "champ." However, he was less complimentary when it came to her husband Andre Agassi, saying:
"Bit of a chump from last year," John McEnroe said about Agassi.
After being given a second chance to describe Agassi, the 64-year-old simply called him "bald." Shifting attention to their Pickleball Slam 2 battle on February 4, McEnroe expressed his desire to exact "revenge" after he and Michael Chang lost to Agassi and Andy Roddick last year.
Watch John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova's interaction below:
"John McEnroe is the guy to partner with, to have fun, to laugh, to get angry" - Maria Sharapova on Pickleball Slam 2
Maria Sharapova opened up about her decision to team up with John McEnroe, stating that he was the ideal partner for a "fun" experience. She humorously added she had no other option due to Andy Roddick's unavailability.
"Why not partner with Mac, he's kind of the guy to partner with. To have fun, to laugh, to get a little angry and I couldn't get Andy [Roddick] so he was the next one in line," Sharapova said, via the aforementioned source (00:00).
Meanwhile, McEnroe outlined the formidable nature of their partnership, citing Sharapova's height as a substantial advantage.
"I think we're a great team. I think just with a little bit of practice. I've watched you play a lot of tennis. You've got a lot of height, which I think you're going to use to your advantage in the area of the kitchen," he said.
McEnroe and Sharapova's opponents also featured in a recent promotional clip for Pickleball Slam 2, where Andre Agassi expressed his admiration for Steffi Graf's swift adaptation to Pickleball.
