NEW YORK, /PRNewswire/ — Tennis icons John McEnroe and Andre Agassi return for the Pickleball Slam, and will be joined by Stefanie Graf and Maria Sharapova, two of the greatest female tennis players of all time. The four legends will compete in SLAM 2 for a total prize purse of $1 million. Created and produced by Horizon Sports & Experiences (HS&E) and InsideOut Sports & Entertainment (ISE), SLAM 2 will be televised live in primetime, exclusively on ESPN on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024 at 8:30 p.m. (EST) from Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL.
Tickets for SLAM 2 go on sale today, July 18, at noon and start at $46. Tickets are available at myhrl.com and Ticketmaster. All seats are reserved. Doors open one hour before the event. Additional fees may apply.
SLAM 2 will be highlighted by an electrifying doubles match featuring the duo of McEnroe and Sharapova, who have a total of 12 Grand Slam singles titles between them, facing off against Agassi and Graf, who earned a combined 30 Grand Slam singles titles during their respective careers.
The inaugural Pickleball Slam showcased 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 a 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.
“Following the success of the inaugural Pickleball Slam, we’re excited to once again partner with and return to the Hard Rock and present SLAM 2 in primetime on ESPN, an ideal timeslot coming out of the network’s coverage of the NFL Pro Bowl and a NBA regular season game,” said David Levy, Co-CEO of HS&E. “It’s great to have both John and Andre return for SLAM 2. In pairing them up with Stefanie and Maria, two of the greatest and most competitive players in the history of tennis, there’s sure to be no shortage of incredible action and entertaining moments on the court.”
“We are incredibly excited to partner with Horizon Sports & Entertainment and InsideOut Sports again for the return of the Pickleball Slam to Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.,” said Keith Sheldon, President of Entertainment for Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming. “The inaugural event last April was a resounding success, with Hard Rock’s desire to be entertainment first-movers paying massive dividends. This time around, we’ll build on our initial success with John McEnroe and Andre Agassi, by also adding Steffi Graf and Maria Sharapova to the lineup – arguably two of the best players of all time in racquet sports. To have all this in The Guitar Hotel live in primetime on ESPN; it’s going be a special evening of pickleball.”
“After Andy and I took home the hardware at the first Pickleball Slam, I said I would be playing pickleball as long as I can walk – that’s how much I enjoy this game. Naturally, I am so excited to share this experience with one of the best tennis players, my wife,” said Agassi.
“When I watched the inaugural Pickleball Slam in April and stepped onto the court, I was hooked. Andre and I can’t wait to get back out on the court together to face off against Maria and John,” said Graf.
AMATEUR SLAM CHALLENGE RETURNS
The weekend will once again feature the Amateur Slam Challenge on Friday, Feb. 2 and Saturday, Feb 3, 2024. The amateur tournament will include doubles teams competing for a cash prize and the opportunity to play against the tennis legends.
For more information and to register for the Amateur Slam Challenge, visit www.thepickleballslam.com.
PLAYER INFORMATION
Andre Agassi is one of the most successful and recognized players in the history of tennis, capturing eight Grand Slam titles during his Hall of Fame career, including the career Grand Slam for winning each of the four major professional tennis tournaments – Wimbledon, the Australian Open, the French Open and the U.S. Open at least once. He also captured the gold medal at 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
In 1988, Stefanie Graf earned tennis immortality when she became the first player to win all four major singles titles and the gold medal during the Summer Olympics. Widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, she won 22 major singles titles during her Hall of Fame career and was ranked the number one women’s singles player in the world for a record of 377 weeks.
Recognized as one of the greatest players in the history of professional tennis, John McEnroe won 17 Grand Slam titles, including four singles titles at the U.S. Open and three Wimbledon titles. He captured a remarkable 77 single titles, as well as 77 doubles titles, and is the only male player in tennis history to simultaneously hold the world number one ranking in both singles and doubles. During his illustrious Hall of Fame career, he also contributed to five Davis Cup titles for the U.S. and was a team captain.
Considered one of the best competitors of her generation, Maria Sharapova is one of only 10 women to achieve the career Grand Slam. During her stellar career, she also won a silver medal in women’s singles at the 2012 London Olympics.
SOURCE Horizon Sports & Experiences
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