Pickleball Slam 2 on ESPN: Info You Need to Know

We know who the players competing are. We know where it's taking place. We know the event’s sponsors. Pickleball Slam 2 is gearing-up for a full-throttle event that will no doubt challenge the flagship event hosted at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida on April 2, 2023.

Pickleball Slam 2, slated for early February, pits tennis legends Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf against Maria Sharapova and John McEnroe for a grand prize of $1 million, following up ESPN’s wildly successful first Pickleball Slam – the first pickleball match (also featuring Agassi and McEnroe) to be broadcast on the Worldwide Leader in Sports.

Agassi & Graf: Tennis's Power Couple Takes the Pickleball Court

Agassi won the first slam, alongside Andy Roddick. In a press release issued by Horizon Sports & Experiences, the event's organizer, the tennis great said that his love for pickleball made him want to come back for more.

 “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,” Agassi said.

Now, the eight-time grand-slam tournament winner will defend his title alongside his wife, Graf, who is arguably a more accomplished tennis player in her own right. Graf has won 22 grand-slam titles, the third most ever in women’s tennis.

Sharapova and McEnroe: The Challengers 

On the other side of the court will be Sharapova, a five-time grand-slam tournament winner, and McEnroe, the only player in history on the men’s side to win over 70 ATP tournaments in both singles and doubles. Both tennis legends are former ATP world No. 1s.

Despite her tennis acumen, Sharapova indicated she's apprehensive about trying her hand at a new sport.

“I am slightly anxious about the whole thing,” Sharapova said in a video released by the Pickleball Slam Instagram account. “I feel like I am a rookie going into something I have never experienced before, which is like sometimes good, 'cause that fearlessness would come out so I don’t have any experience to back on.”

Pickleball Slam 1 Was a Smash Hit

The first iteration of the event drew an average of 669,000 viewers on ESPN, with a peak of 796,000. It was the fifth-most watched sporting event that day and drew better ratings than 13 MLB games that week, seven NBA games and five NHL games. Featuring even more star-power and coming the week before the Super Bowl, this year’s version figures to do just as well – if not better.

According to David Levy, co-CEO of Horizon Sports & Experiences, the event was put in a time slot to maximize its ratings. 

“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 time-slot coming out of the network’s coverage of the NFL Pro Bowl and an NBA regular season game,” Levy said in a statement. “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.”

 Anticipation is Building

Last week, the event got a handful of A-list sponsors too. State Farm signed on, along with Brighthouse Financial and Franklin Sports. Hard Rock, which is hosting the event at its Hollywood, FL hotel and casino, is also a lead sponsor.

Anticipation for the matchup between the four tennis legends has already started to build. In a video released by the Pickleball Slam’s Instagram account, McEnroe, known throughout his career for his fiery, confrontational style, took an early lead in the trash-talk battle.

“Folks, you still have a chance to be there live in-person to see me kick that guy Andre Agassi’s a** again,” McEnroe said.

The event will take place on February 4th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL, where the competition will be broadcast on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. EST. Tickets range from $46 to over $300.