Tennis legend Agassi praises Hong Kong’s ‘exceptional’ pickleball potential
Eight-time grand slam winner has become a prominent figure in the pickleball scene in recent years
Eight-time grand slam winner Andre Agassi believes Hong Kong’s pickleball potential is “exceptional” and is keen on helping the city develop the sport.
The former tennis great has become a prominent figure in the pickleball scene in recent years, making his professional debut at 55, investing heavily in the sport and even designing equipment.
“I’ve been to India with intentions of helping the sport grow and expand,” Agassi said. “And certainly with the infrastructure that exists in Hong Kong, the land and space that exists, the little demand that pickleball takes, as opposed to say tennis, the ability to expand in pickle is pretty exceptional here.
“I would love to see this marketplace open up to the growth of pickleball and the expansion of it. If it’s anywhere near what we’ve seen in the United States, it’ll be pretty epic.”
In Hong Kong for the first time since 1999, when he beat Boris Becker in the Salem Open final, in what turned out to be their last match, Agassi is not the only one who sees the possibilities in pickleball.
The sport, which is a mixture of table tennis and tennis, has been expanding rapidly at the grass roots level and is projected to have more than 20 million players globally by next year.