Andre Agassi recently shared a video of him playing tennis for the first time in over a year. Agassi, who is preparing for a pickleball tournament with his wife Steffi Graf, showed off his impressive backhand skills on an indoor court.
Of late, the 53-year-old has been consistently practicing his pickleball skills. However, his latest video suggests that he has not lost his touch with the tennis racket either.
In the clip, which he posted on Instagram on Sunday, January 7, Agassi can be seen with a tennis racket, smacking backhands on an indoor court.
"First hit in over a year. Maybe I could have done something in this 🎾 game…" Agassi wrote.
Agassi is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, with a career that spanned over two decades and included 60 singles titles, three Davis Cups, and an Olympic gold medal. He retired from professional tennis in 2006, at the age of 36, after losing to Benjamin Becker in the third round of the US Open.
Lately, Agassi has been focusing on pickleball with Graf, who is also a former WTA World No.1 and 22-time Grand Slam champion. The couple is all set to team up for the second edition of the Pickleball Slam on February 4, 2024, against John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova.
The event will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, with the winning team getting a $1 million reward.
Agassi marked his pickleball debut in April 2023, teaming up with Andy Roddick to secure victory in the inaugural Pickleball Slam.
In that edition, McEnroe first defeated Agassi 15-13, 16-14, while Roddick triumphed over Michael Chang 15-10, 15-10. The pivotal doubles match ended with Agassi and Roddick narrowly winning against McEnroe and Chang with a score of 21-15, 21-23, 12-10.
Andre Agassi jokes about how Pickleball's competitive spirit strained his relationship with Steffi Graf
Andre Agassi talked about his future doubles match with John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova at Pickleball Slam 2 on the Pat McAfee Show in November last year.
Agassi discussed his intensive training, particularly focusing on facing McEnroe. He also humorously talked about playing alongside Steffi Graf, highlighting their shared competitiveness and playfully suggesting it might strain their relationship.
"I've been playing a lot. And I've been playing with him on my mind, but I've been playing with my wife too. Which, by the way, can add a great deal to a relationship or ruin it! So you gotta be careful with that," Andre Agassi said.
Agassi, who joined forces with Andy Roddick to defeat Michael Chang and McEnroe in the first Pickleball Slam, recalled how well the event went last year.
"We had such a blast last year, I think the most fun part was watching all these champions who knew how to direct their blood pressure and their energy, and get through the intensity of 20,000 people going silent once you were on a tennis court," Andre Agassi said.
"Here we are with the same kind of experience and discipline, yet we have nowhere to direct it. Cause in Pickleball, you can't just "energy" yourself through these shots. You have to calm down when you hit it, it was so disorienting for all of us to deal with the pressure," he added.
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