Bouchard Calls Out Agassi For Being 'Scared' Before Pickleball Slam 3

Tuesday, 26 November 2024 at 01:05

byJordan Reynolds

The humorous trash talk before Pickleball Slam 3 continued after Eugenie Bouchard told Andre Agassi he sounded scared to face her.

Pickleball Slam 3 will be played on February 16th, 2025. The two previous editions of the event were successful and enjoyable for the players involved and the fans watching worldwide.

Agassi and Andy Roddick won Pickleball Slam 1, overcoming John McEnroe and Michael Chang. Then, Agassi teamed up with his wife, tennis legend Steffi Graf, to beat Maria Sharapova and McEnroe in Pickleball Slam 2.

The next iteration of the Pickleball Slam will feature Agassi and Staf against Roddick and Eugenie Bouchard. That creates an interesting dynamic since Roddick and Agassi previously won the Pickleball Slam together.

Roddick recently addressed this, jokingly telling Agassi that it was galling to be abandoned after the first Pickleball Slam, arguing he carried him to that victory back in 2023 against McEnroe and Chang.

After those hilarious comments, Roddick spoke more honestly about how he views Agassi and Graf. Although Agassi was his idol as a young player, he admits it is 22-time Grand Slam champion Graf who leaves him speechless when they meet.

The 2003 US Open champion must not allow that dynamic to distract him at Pickleball Slam 3, but he might feel confident about his chances because of how often Bouchard plays pickleball.

Bouchard has only competed in three WTA Tour events this season, including at the Canadian Open, to focus on pickleball. If she is on her game, that could make her the most dangerous player on the court at Pickleball Slam 3.

In a promotional clip for Pickleball Slam 3, Agassi admitted that he and Graf would likely target Roddick the most during the match because of Bouchard's experience from playing the sport the most regularly.

"For me, the calculus is knowing that she’s going to be the only one out there in that competitive environment, who has learned how to manage her blood pressure and nerves and energy right."

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"In tennis, you have the luxury of transferring that energy with your feet and hitting through your shot and having physical control. In pickle, you have to have a lot of urgency, but then you have to calm yourself down."

"She has a great deal of experience competing in so many events to be able to control the best of herself in that environment so that’s gonna be a big advantage for her."

"It’s not going to feel unfamiliar to have pressure on the line and to keep herself calm and execute what she knows to do. That’s the big advantage for her. I think the plan is to always go after the weakness so I think we’re going to play her as little as possible. We’re going to check Andy’s oil."

Bouchard noticed Agassi's comments and responded in an Instagram story, saying Agassi sounded fearful of her.

"@agassi sounds scared."

The humorous banter between the pair indicates the match will be played in a fun and enjoyable spirit in February, which should be great viewing for fans.