Tennis Legends Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf Find New Passion in Pickleball

The couple credits the fast-growing sport for improving their health, social lives, and providing a new competitive outlet.

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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Former tennis champions Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf have embraced pickleball as a life-changing hobby. Agassi revealed that the sport has transformed his physical health, giving him an outlet to stay active and improve his skills. Beyond the physical benefits, the couple has also built new friendships through pickleball, enriching their social lives in their mid-50s. Agassi and Graf have been consistent champions at the annual Pickleball Slam exhibition event, demonstrating the sport's appeal to former tennis professionals and celebrities.

Why it matters

Pickleball's surge in popularity has attracted many former tennis players and celebrities who find the sport welcoming and rewarding. Agassi and Graf's embrace of pickleball highlights how the sport can serve as a meaningful pastime that combines physical fitness with social engagement, benefiting participants on multiple levels, even for athletes in their 50s and beyond.

The details

Andre Agassi, a former World No. 1 and eight-time Grand Slam winner, shared his insights on the Pickleballers Podcast, crediting pickleball for improving his physical health and providing a new competitive outlet. Agassi said the sport has given him 'an outlet to do something that I can still improve at' and allows him to 'exert myself one hundred percent.' Beyond the physical benefits, Agassi also noted that pickleball has helped him and Steffi Graf build new friendships, enriching their social lives in their mid-50s.

  • Agassi and Graf have been consistent champions at the annual Pickleball Slam exhibition event, winning the title in the first three editions.
  • The fourth edition of the Pickleball Slam is scheduled for mid-April 2026 in Hollywood, Florida, where Agassi is confirmed to participate.

The players

Andre Agassi

A former World No. 1 and eight-time Grand Slam winner in tennis who has embraced pickleball as a life-changing hobby.

Steffi Graf

A renowned tennis champion who has also taken up pickleball alongside her husband, Andre Agassi.

Eugenie Bouchard

A former tennis player who has transitioned to become a professional pickleball competitor.

Anna Leigh Waters

Considered one of the most dominant players in the sport of pickleball.

James Blake

A former ATP star who is also participating in the Pickleball Slam events.

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What they’re saying

“Oh a hundred percent it's changed my life. It's changed my life physically. It's given me an outlet to do something that I can still improve at. It's given me something that I can exert myself one hundred percent and feel it in all the right places the next day versus a rotation of tennis where I feel it in places that I know is not ideal.”

— Andre Agassi (Pickleballers Podcast)

“Here's a good one, Steffi and I have made friends. We're in our mid-50s and it's like you're supposed to have less friends you know as you get older and pickleball has given us a chance and a reason and excuse to make more friends and it translates into real life overlaps and connections. The truth is, I don't do anything that isn't really authentic to me and this sport has added so much to our lives, I mean, it's hard not to love it.”

— Andre Agassi (Pickleballers Podcast)

What’s next

The fourth edition of the Pickleball Slam is scheduled for mid-April 2026 in Hollywood, Florida, where Agassi is confirmed to participate.

The takeaway

Agassi and Graf's embrace of pickleball demonstrates how the sport can serve as a meaningful pastime that combines physical fitness with social engagement, benefiting participants on multiple levels, even for athletes in their 50s and beyond.