The Pickleball Slam is returning for the third edition of its groundbreaking franchise. And this time, it all goes down in the Entertainment Capital of the World, Las Vegas.
With a $1 million purse once again on the line, tennis legends and defending champions Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf return to take on the dynamic duo of tennis Hall of Famer Andy Roddick and Wimbledon finalist and former world #5, Eugenie Bouchard.
Created and produced by Horizon Sports & Experiences (HS&E) and InsideOut Sports & Entertainment (ISE), Pickleball Slam 3: The Duel in the Desert, will be televised live, exclusively on ESPN on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, at 4p.m. (EST) from Michelob ULTRA Arena at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.
Match 1
Andre Agassi vs. Andy Roddick
Match 2
Steffi Graf + Special Guest vs. Eugenie Bouchard + Special Guest
Final Match
Andre Agassi + Steffi Graf vs. Andy Roddick + Eugenie Bouchard
The inaugural Pickleball Slam showcased John McEnroe, Agassi, Andy Roddick, and Michael Chang competing for a $1 million purse, the largest tournament purse in pickleball history. The event was broadcast live on Sunday, April 2, 2023, on ESPN before an at-the-time record-breaking capacity crowd at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL. A first-of-its-kind event, the afternoon telecast was the highest-rated competition in pickleball history.
In 2024, Pickleball Slam 2 featured tennis icons John McEnroe and Andre Agassi against Stefanie Graf and Maria Sharapova, two of the greatest female tennis players of all time, again competing for a $1 million purse. The event was broadcast live on Sunday, April 4 on ESPN before another record-breaking capacity crowd at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL.
Both events served up aces with ESPN’s television audiences. The first Pickleball Slam set a record as the highest-rated pickleball telecast in the network’s history, peaking with nearly 800,000 viewers. Then in February 2024, Slam 2 built on this success—peaking with over 990,000 viewers, making it the second most-watched pickleball event in ESPN’s history. Both events outperformed competing sports TV broadcasts on their respective days.