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via Imago

via Imago

The tennis world is buzzing with excitement—but this time, it’s not for a traditional match! Tennis legends are gearing up to hit the courts, but with a fun twist: they’re trading their rackets for paddles in Pickleball Season 3. With icons like Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick leading the charge, the passion is just as fiery. Fans can’t wait to see their favorite stars bring their A-game in this fast-paced, paddle-packed showdown. And, of course, leave it to Roddick to spice things up with his signature humor.

In a video announcement in September this year, Agassi confirmed the return of the third edition of the event next year. Scheduled to take place on February 16, 2025, the tournament will arrive in Las Vegas and will feature Agassi and his wife Steffi Graf on one side competing with Roddick and Eugenie Bouchard on the other. But there seems to be a playful war of words already beginning ahead of the tournament and this time expressing his cheeky side is Roddick.

The 2003 US winner can be seen taking a jibe at Agassi and accusing him of snubbing him for his wife. In the video shared by the official account of The Pickleball Slam, Roddick said, “It’s a weird thing for me to just totally carry Andre to victory and then he kind of just kicked me out of the event. I guess that what happens when you have a wife who is the best of all time as an option.” Remember, Roddick and Agassi played as a team when they outshined John McEnroe and Michael Chang in the first edition of the tournament in 2023. However, he decided to change his partner for the second edition and joined forces with his wife Graf, as the duo won against Maria Sharapova and McEnroe.

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With Andy Roddick once again returning to the picture, he seems to be ready to avenge being snubbed by Agassi. Interestingly, this comes soon after a video of Agassi challenging Roddick gained traction. “Yo Andy, I heard that the teams are all set for the Pickleball Slam 3. You and Genie got the ‘Big’ John Isner. Me and Stef got Mardy Fish. Well, we welcome Mardy Fish. And we also welcome the b–t-kicking that we’re gonna drop on you guys. Feb 16, right here in our hometown in Las Vegas. Better show up,” Agassi said.  Coming back to Roddick, this is not the first time when Roddick made such a statement and took credit for playing a major role in the first edition of the tournament. 

Soon after the announcement of the new edition was made, the former player took to his X and shared almost a 1-hour long video of the first edition of the tournament. “Attached above video as it seems that @AndreAgassi has forgotten that I completely carried him to the first @pickleballslam win …… he won’t have that luxury this time around,” he wrote. Interestingly, Roddick is also witnessing some support from his pickleball partner Eugenie Bouchard, who is taking similar digs at their opponents. 

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What’s your perspective on:

Is Agassi's choice of partner a strategic move or just a snub to Roddick?

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When Eugenie Bouchard took an Andy Roddick-like dig at Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf

As Andy Roddick is ensuring to spice things up ahead of the event in February next year, he seems to be getting equal support from his teammate Eugenie Bouchard. The Canadian star, who evolved from Tennis to pickleball, took to her Instagram just a couple of days ago, to playfully mock their opponents. 

Bouchard shared a post by the official account of The Pickleball Slam where Agassi and Graf can be seen talking about the Canadian player and the tournament in general. Speaking in the interview, Graf highlighted Bouchard’s stronghold in Pickleball and said, “Genie is been really playing well this year, you know taking it professional. I think to jump from Tennis to pickleball, you know, is not an easy transition.” Agassi also shared a similar sentiment and said, “They (Roddick and Bouchard) are great competitors on top of being everything.” While the Canadian acknowledged the praise, she ensured to add a playful touch.

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Captioning the story, she wrote, “they’re so nice I don’t wanna have to beat them in Feb!!😩” expressing her confidence for the tournament.” With a lot at stake, it would be interesting to see who actually turns out to be on the winning side. Can Roddick and Bouchard defeat the two-time winner Agassi? Well, only time will tell.

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Is Agassi's choice of partner a strategic move or just a snub to Roddick?