"Steffi Graf was like I do not have time for this" - Eugenie Bouchard counting on beating German & husband Andre Agassi at Pickleball Slam 3

Eugenie Bouchard switched sports from tennis to pickleball in November last year. The 2014 Wimbledon Championships finalist decided to turn a pickleball pro and start the PPA tour in 2024. She is set to participate in the Pickleball Slam 3 in Last Vegas in February this year.

Bouchard is paired up with the former Men’s World No.1, Andy Roddick for the event. They are up against the legendary duo and defending champions of the exhibition, Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi.

In a clip shared by the official Instagram handle of Pickleball Slam on January 9, Eugenie Bouchard mentioned how Steffi Graf was her role model and how she looked up to the 22-time Grand Slam winner.

The Canadian also recalled a recent conversation with the German and expressed hope in beating the husband-wife duo at the exhibition event.

“I saw them last week at the Vegas Golden Knights game and we were chatting about pickleball and Steffi was like 'I do not have time for this dinking' and I was like 'I feel you girl and I know this is so different to what we have been doing our whole life in tennis', especially with our game styles. Hopefully, that means she is not that good at it and I will beat her,” Bouchard said.

This will be Eugenie Bouchard's debut appearance at the Pickleball Slam, and she will be hoping to take home the $1 million prize money on offer after defeating Agassi-Graf on February 16.

---

Eugenie Bouchard's tennis journey and transition to pickleball

Eugenie Bouchard playing pickleball - Source: Getty

Eugenie Bouchard enjoyed a stellar 2014 campaign, reaching two Grand Slam semifinals (Australian Open and French Open) and the Wimbledon finals. That year marked the first time a Canadian made it to the finals of Wimbledon.

Bouchard's consistent performances pushed her ranking to 5th overall. However, she suffered a severe decline following that due to injuries and underwhelming performances. By 2018, she had fallen out of the top 100.

While she won a doubles title in Auckland in 2019 to break her 13-match losing streak, her injuries prevented her from being a constant presence on the court.

After recovering from her injury, Bouchard tried to come back in 2022 but couldn't rekindle her form, facing early exits at several tournaments. In 2024, she only played four matches in 2024, shortly before transitioning to Pickleball.

Most recently, she paired up with Jack Sock for a mixed-doubles event at the PPA tour. The American-Canadian duo got knocked in the round of 32 by AJ Koller and Meghan Dizon 11-9, 11-8.