The Pickleball Slam, Anna Leigh Waters and a sport trying to escape the gravity of tennis stars

Pickleballone of the fastest-growing sports activities in the United States, has reached one other milestone. The fourth version of the Pickleball Slamone of its most seen occasions, just isn’t like the earlier three. This time, for the first time, one of the 4 gamers on the courtroom didn’t make their identify like a tennis star.

“I think it’s huge,” he stated Anna Leigh Watersthe participant in query, in a telephone interview Saturday. “The Pickleball Slam is a big event. Pickle is in the name, so it’s kind of cool that we have finally, a legit, like, full-bred pickleball player.”

Waters, though solely 19, is mostly accepted to be the best participant in the brief historical past of the sport, alongside Ben Johns on the males’s circuit.

Waters has gained 181 gold medals and 39 triple crowns — golds in singles, doubles and blended at the identical pickleball event — and is the PPA (Professional Pickleball Association) Tour world No. 1 for all three of these disciplines. In January, she became the first pickleball athlete to sign with Nike.

The Pickleball Slam is broadcast stay on ESPN and awards $1 million to the successful pair. With its hefty prize pot and ESPN deal, it’s an occasion in search of eyeballs — which it has beforehand assured by stocking its roster with tennis legends who’ve turn into pickleball converts, both on the sport’s skilled circuit or as traders.

Grand Slam champions Andrew Agassi, Steffi GrafJohn McEnroe, Maria SharapovaMichael Chang and Andy Roddick have all competed, however Waters is the first pickleball skilled to take the courtroom who has not hit a tennis ball for a dwelling.

Waters will associate former WTA Tour world No. 5 Eugenie Bouchardup in opposition to one-time ATP Tour world No. 4 James Blake and eight-time Grand Slam champion Agassi.

“It was honestly really cool to watch some of the ex-pro tennis players play pickleball and battle against each other in a different sport that’s similar to tennis, but obviously not the same,” Waters stated of earlier editions of the occasion.

“But I do think that adding a professional pickleball player into the mix hopefully makes it more entertaining, because you’ll see a little bit more nuance of the game than people who are really good at tennis playing pickleball.”

Jon Venison, a sports activities govt and co-creator of the Pickleball Slam at GSE Worldwide, which, together with Horizon Sports & Experiences, is producing the occasion, stated by way of e-mail that Waters’ involvement, alongside the three former tennis professionals, is “a clear sign that the sport is now producing its own stars and continuing to evolve on its own terms.”

Tennis and pickleball haven’t at all times coexisted simply, however the evolution of the two sports activities — and the relevance of tennis gamers in occasions corresponding to the Pickleball Slam — means that any tensions are fading as the latter’s market matures.

While tennis golf equipment throughout the US have transformed tennis courts to pickleball courts, each sports activities have grown in the previous few years at the beginner stage and tennis has remained properly forward of their sibling in the spectatorship stakes.

In February, the USTA introduced that tennis participation in the United States had elevated by 1.6 million in 2025 to a new excessive of 27.3 million complete gamers, representing development of 54 % since 2019. Pickleball, in the meantime, continues to be one of the fastest-growing sports activities in the United States. An estimated 48.3 million adults dunked, hit and volleyed a small polymer ball over a 34-inch internet between 2022 and 2023, in accordance to the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP).

Agassi, who partnered with Waters at last year’s US Open Pickleball Championshipsis evangelical about the social and well being advantages of pickleball, in addition to sincere about its friction with tennis.

“I believe pickleball and tennis have had their share of, let’s say, frustrations with each other or annoyances on some level, some form of competitiveness early on in the days of pickleball’s growth,” he stated in a telephone interview final month.

“But I think the growth is undeniable from a participation standpoint. And I think tennis players are a lot more secure in tennis being the Everest of racket sports. But they also understand that pickleball has its own place in the community, so I think there’s less feeling of one or the other cannibalizing the other.”

Agassi has a number of pickleball investments and is a model ambassador for Joola, a pickleball and desk tennis firm. He stated of his ongoing involvement in the Pickleball Slam that: “I’ve been hit with weird offers over the years to play, whether it would be Serena (Williams) or whether it’d be to do things in tennis — and there’s nothing to understand or to try to prove. This isn’t that, this is to me a celebration of how far this sport has come and, and its overlap with tennis and generations and gender and in culture.”

“Anna Leigh represents the future of professional pickleball, including the highest level of competition, growing visibility, and a strong connection with fans,” stated David Levy, the Horizon Sports & Experiences co-chief govt and founder.

Of the tensions between tennis and pickleball, Bouchard, who can be a Tennis Channel analyst, stated throughout an interview at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells that: “I’m Switzerland, I’m neutral.”

“I’m a tennis player at heart. I love the traditions of tennis and the history of our game. But at the same time, it is such a long learning curve to be good at tennis, right? The first lesson, you’re picking up balls the whole time. The first six months, you pick up balls. And if you don’t play against someone who’s very close to your level, it’s not fun for both players.

“There are tales of, sure, usually individuals go from tennis to pickleball, however what if a child begins in pickleball and goes over to tennis? I believe it is a huge world and there’s room for everyone.”

Another eye-catching aspect of this 12 months’s Pickleball Slam is the “Battle of the Sexes” element. It’s the first time that the sport is pitting women against men (excluding mixed doubles matches), with Waters against Blake, Bouchard taking on Agassi, and then Bouchard and Waters pairing up for doubles.

The doubles match will be the finale, following the two singles matches. The winner of each singles match will earn one point for their team, with the doubles carrying two points, in a format similar to tennis’ Laver Cup, which is designed to keep the jeopardy until the end.

The recent tennis “Battle of the Sexes” (named after the 1973 match that includes Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs) between world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and former Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios drew some criticism. One of the important points observers had with the December match was the modifications made to the courtroom, with Sabalenka’s half of the courtroom 9 % smaller — as a result of of knowledge, occasion organizers stated, that confirmed that girls gamers moved about 9 % slower on common than males.

There can be no such modifications Wednesday, which these concerned stated was an necessary distinction.

“You see the women going toe to toe with the men and having fast-hands battles (in mixed doubles), and winning points against men,” Waters stated.

“Pickleball is one of those sports where women can hang (with men). I think Genie and I can definitely hang with Andre and James, whereas in other sports, you know if a man and woman were to play against each other, it might not be as entertaining.”

Agassi stated he was extra taken with the age differential (Waters, 19, and Bouchard, 32, will face his 55 years and Blake’s 46) and how huge a distinction in the “subtlety” of taking part in there may be from the professional pickleball pair in contrast to his and Blake’s expertise.

“I know what to expect on the tennis court, where the edges are going to be and you’re really wrestling with the nuance of how you need to execute,” he stated.

“I don’t have that same depth of experience (with pickleball), so everything always feels new to me. With tennis, I spent most of my career reminding myself that I’ve prepared my whole life for this. And I will not see something new that I can’t adjust to, but in pickle, it feels like there’s still a lot that’s new. So it’s an adventure.”

Bouchard stated that Agassi’s “backhand is insane in pickleball just the way it was in tennis,” and added that “it’s good for the sport to have someone so accomplished buy into it.”

It’s Waters, although, who’s the headliner Wednesday: The teenager defining her sport, representing it by taking up former gamers from its extra in style and illustrious rival.

“I do think it’s cool to add in maybe two pickleball players or three, but having all four would kind of change the dynamic of what the Pickleball Slam’s trying to do,” she stated.