With the Pickleball craze slowly taking over the United States, it comes as no surprise that former tennis pros have taken an interest in the sport.
Patrick McEnroe, younger brother of tennis legend
John McEnroe, will be doing commentary for ESPN's 'Pickleball Slam', a competition that will feature four tennis legends. In singles matches,
Andy Roddick duels Michael Chang and John McEnroe battles Andre Agassi; in doubles, the final match of the day, it’s McEnroe/Chang versus Roddick/Agassi.
When asked to evaluate his brother's play, Patrick was full of praise for John, stating his brother's experience on the tennis court would aid him during Pickleball.
"I’ve seen John play, and I’m confident that he is going to be pretty darn good," said Patrick. "He’s got the perfect tennis strokes for pickleball. Nobody had better hands or better volleys in the history of tennis than John.
"Pickleball swings are small and short, like a strong volley swing, not a lot of backswing — and that is John’s natural stroke. John will also want to be as close to the kitchen as often as possible. It’s against the rules to go into the kitchen, but John will be as close as possible to the kitchen."
The doubles teams will be competing for a $1 million purse, the largest in pickleball history. Additionally, the four tennis legends will also be playing for $100,000 donation to a charity of their choice. The event is scheduled to air on Sunday, April 2 at noon ET, on ESPN.