As the demand to include pickleball in the Olympics grows louder, tennis legend Andre Agassi believes that the sport could be included in the event ‘sooner’ than expected.
“Pickleball is going to add a great deal to sport. Olympics, I absolutely can see it. I think it’s going to maybe even happen sooner than you’re hoping,” Agassi said during the launch of the Pickleball World Rankings (PWR) DUPR India League.
The eight-time Grand Slam winner, who is now actively involved in pickleball, believes that one of the major reasons behind the game’s growth has been the fact that it’s more affordable
“It does not make you broke like tennis, since it’s affordable. You can experience success, which is good for social development… Give it a go because all you need to do is try a few times and it will be part of your life,” Agassi said.
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By his own admission, he and his wife Steffi Graf have been glued to the sport over the last few years. “Over the last two years, I’ve been playing quite a lot.It’s been a great outlet for me and my wife, a fantastic exercise,” be said.
“Those of you that watch it from a distance might think that old people play it or something, but I guess I’m a little old, but I promise you, you can challenge yourself on any level that you pour yourself into it,” Agassi said.
Joining him in the event, Indian tennis ace Rohan Bopanna was also impressed with the immense popularity of pickleball and did not rule out a possibility of him taking up the sport once done with tennis.
