Who is Competing in Inaugural Pickleball Slam for $1 Million Prize?

In April, four former tennis stars, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and Michael Chang, will compete in the Inaugural Pickleball Slam for a $1 million prize. However, this time, they will be playing a different sport – pickleball instead of tennis. Horizon Sports and Experiences, the event’s organizers, have announced that the event will take place on April 2 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

David Levy, co-CEO of Horizon Sports and Experiences, said that the tournament will bring together some of America’s most iconic tennis legends for a groundbreaking competition that marks a new milestone for the rapidly growing sport of pickleball. The tournament is part of a multi-year, five-event partnership with Hard Rock, reflecting the sport’s growing popularity, with over 4.8 million active players across the United States.

The tournament will feature two single matches between the legends, with Roddick versus Chang and McEnroe versus Agassi. The legends will then compete in a final doubles match – McEnroe and Chang versus Roddick and Agassi – to determine the winner of the $1 million prize. Each former tennis player has an impressive track record, with McEnroe being a seven-time Grand Slam champion, Agassi an eight-time Grand Slam champion, Roddick once ranked number one in the world and a one-time Grand Slam champion, and Chang becoming the youngest man to win a tennis major when he won the 1989 French Open at just 17.

The Slam will also provide an opportunity for amateur pickleball players to compete in a challenge on March 31 and April 1. Up to 96 doubles teams will compete on a first-come-first-served basis for a $10,000 prize, as well as the chance to play two of the tennis legends before their televised matches on April 2. Levy believes that pickleball has become a cultural phenomenon and is experiencing a meteoric rise across genders, age groups, geographies, and income levels.