Agassi teams up with Anna Leigh Waters for the first time to compete in the Pickleball Open!

You heard it right. The legend who conquered the tennis world in denim shorts and long hair, Andre Agassi, has officially entered the professional pickleball arena! And he is doing it right from the start, partnering with the current world No. 1 and pickleball "Triple Crown Queen" Anna Leigh Waters, and the two swords are aimed at the 2025 Minto U.S. Pickleball Open.

This isn't entertainment, this is serious.

A century debut of a "king bomb" combination
The combination of Agassi and Waters is simply "a passionate veteran meets a hot-blooded girl". Waters won the women's singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles championships at the US Open last year, and is a truly dominant player. This time, she took the initiative to invite Agassi to partner in mixed doubles, and the reason was quite Anna Leigh-style: "He has a fierce firepower and a fierce style. I think it will be very exciting for the two of us to play together."

Agassi? His usual sharp tongue humor: "She probably won too many games and wanted to change her style, so she found a partner like me."

But don't underestimate this joke - Waters is not going for traffic. She carefully studied Agassi's pickleball playing videos on YouTube and found that his sense of rhythm, anticipation and offensive thinking can also shine on the pickleball court. Not to mention his love for sports and his desire to promote it.

Highlights of the game: CBS nationwide live broadcast, with top-tier traffic as standard
Don’t blink, Agassi and Waters’ debut will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network nationwide at noon (EST) on April 30, and the audience in front of the screen will probably be so tired of pressing the remote control.

This is Agassi's first time playing in a professional pickleball tournament, and Waters will continue to compete for the women's doubles championship with her mother Leigh Waters.

The event itself should not be underestimated. Since its establishment in 2016, the Minto U.S. Pickleball Open has quickly become a must-watch competition for fans every year, with more than 50,000 spectators each year, and every game is a hit.

Agassi, not just "playing for fun"
This time he is not here to "make a cameo appearance". Agassi has been working hard to promote pickleball in recent years. He is the brand ambassador of JOOLA and the first chairman of the Pickleball and Tennis Development Advisory Committee of Life Time. He frequently appears in major promotional activities and has almost become the "tennis legend who knows pickleball best".

He also said frankly: "It would be great if I could have the energy to focus on training and recovery, but I'm in another stage of my life now." Having said that, this collaboration with Waters is obviously his most sincere "declaration of love" for the sport.

More than just a crossover, this is a dialogue between two eras
In the final analysis, this is not only a challenge to a new battlefield by the "former world number one in tennis", but also a meeting of two eras - one is an idol who made countless people fall in love with tennis, and the other is the queen of pickleball who has made the new generation crazy.

Waters is only 18 years old, but she has become the "spokesperson" of pickleball. Her dream is to make this sport bigger and stronger. And what about Agassi? He hopes to use his influence to get more people to the court, regardless of age or background.

Their joining forces is not just about winning, but more about saying: "Look, this sport has a future, and it's worth joining now."