"Andre Agassi just kicked me out" - Andy Roddick addresses compatriot replacing him with wife Steffi Graf ahead of Pickleball Slam meeting

Andy Roddick recently opened up about Andre Agassi replacing him with his wife, Steffi Graf, as his partner ahead of their meeting at Pickleball Slam 3 in 2025. This will mark Roddick's second appearance at the tournament, with his first being in the inaugural edition in 2023. In contrast, Agassi will be competing for the third time, having participated in all previous editions of the tournament.

Roddick, Agassi, along with John McEnroe and Michael Chang, participated in the first edition of the Pickleball Slam held at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino & Hotel in Hollywood, Florida.

During this event, Roddick teamed up with Agassi, while McEnroe partnered with Chang. The duo of Roddick and Agassi emerged victorious, defeating McEnroe and Chang 3-1 to claim the $1 million prize purse.

In 2024, at the Pickleball Slam 2, Andre Agassi partnered with his wife, Steffi Graf, and defeated John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova to secure the title.

The upcoming Pickleball Slam 3 will take place on February 16, 2025, at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. They will play for a $1 million prize purse and Andy Roddick will return to the tournament and team up with Eugenie Bouchard to challenge the defending champions, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf.

Recently, the official social media account of Pickleball Slam featured Andy Roddick playfully commenting on Andre Agassi's decision to partner with Steffi Graf, stating that it was "weird" for him to have carried Agassi to victory in the inaugural edition only to be replaced by Graf in the subsequent tournament.

Roddick expressed his understanding of his compatriot's choice, acknowledging Graf's status as one of the "best of all time ."

“It was a weird thing for me to just totally carry Andre [Agassi] to victory and then he just kind of, I think he just kind of kicked me out of the event and went on with his business. I guess that’s what happens when you have a wife who's the best of all time as an option,” Roddick said.

Andy Roddick: “Andre Agassi's been my idol, but I have a hard time being in Steffi Graf's presence without being starstruck"

Andy Roddick speaking at an event [Source: Getty]

During an episode of the 'Served with Andy Roddick' podcast, Roddick had expressed that events like the Pickleball Slam are "amazing" because one can witness tennis legends like Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf back on the court and see them playing.

"Those events [Pickleball Slam] are amazing for me because you have people in a room, whether it's Andre and Steff, who are in kind of like full go mode again. They're just doing stuff, which is amazing," Andy Roddick said .

Roddick shared that Agassi has been a long time "idol" of his, and he still feels "incredibly starstruck" in the presence of Graf.

"Like I've known Andre and he's been my idol for a long time but I have a hard time being in Steff's presence without being like incredibly starstruck. Steff is like a huge exception, I can't be around around her without feeling like everything I say is just idiotic, which it might be, I'm just more conscious of it," he added.

Steffi Graf retired with an impressive 22 singles Grand Slam titles and one doubles Major title to her name. While Andre Agassi on the other hand, secured eight singles Grand Slam titles during his career and Andy Roddick finished his career with one Grand Slam singles title to his name.