John McEnroe and Andre Agassi to compete in pickleball tournament for million-dollar purse
Tennis legends John McEnroe and Andre Agassi will compete in a pickleball tournament for a $1 million purse.
The tournament, which is named Pickleball Slam, has been created by Horizon Sports & Entertainment and InsideOut Sports & Entertainment and will also feature Grand Slam champions Andy Roddick and Michael Chang.
Roddick will take on Chang before McEnroe locks horns with Agassi. The two singles matches will be followed by a doubles clash between McEnroe and Chang, and Roddick and Agassi.
The Pickleball Slam will be held Sunday, April 2 at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, in Hollywood, Florida. It will also feature an amateur challenge which will take place from March 31- April 1, with 96 doubles teams competing for a prize money of $10,000 and the opportunity to compete against two of the four tennis legends prior to the main event.
"Pickleball is nothing short of a cultural phenomenon – experiencing a meteoric rise across genders, age groups, geographies, and income levels. The Slam, a multi-year partnership with the Hard Rock, represents the convergence of culture and sport, giving brands an opportunity to engage with passionate fans and amateur players, as pickleball continues to gain popularity," Horizon Sports & Entertainment co-CEO said of the Pickleball Slam.
"We look forward to bringing together four of America's most iconic tennis legends for this groundbreaking competition, which heralds a new milestone for the fastest growing sport in America," he added.
Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi aren't completely new to pickleball as they previously played a charity match for their respective charities in March 2018.
John McEnroe received a lot of criticism for statements on China's Juncheng Shang
John McEnroe recently received a lot of backlash for his controversial remarks on Juncheng Shang. The Chinese teenager lost to Frances Tiafoe in the first round of the Australian Open and McEnroe poked fun at him for his nickname 'Jerry' on ESPN.
"What is this Chinese guy's name? Jerry? How did they come up with Jerry? Is he the only guy from China named Jerry? Did his parents watch Tom and Jerry?"
"What is this Chinese guy's name? Jerry? How did they come up with Jerry? Is he the only guy from China named Jerry? Did his parents watch Tom and Jerry?" - John McEnroe on ESPN on '21 @VeroFutures champion Jerry Shang, the first Chinese man to win a main draw major singles match
John McEnroe received a lot of criticism for his comments, with a number of fans branding him "racist".
"Yes Mac, it's because his parents were huge Tom and Jerry fans. What an ignorant, insensitive and racist comment," a fan tweeted.
@TennisPublisher @VeroFutures yes Mac, it's because his parents were huge Tom and Jerry fans. What an ignorant, insensitive an#d racist comment. @espn
Another fan tweeted:
'Ohhh damnnn! Why is @JohnMcEnroe being such a disgusting racist? This is sooo unacceptable!"