"To me, your hard courts was your best surface": Trash talk begins for John McEnroe ahead of Maria Sharapova pickleball showdown

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Monday, 06 November 2023 at 23:30
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John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova will team up to face the duo of Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf in a new pickleball exhibition on February 4, 2024.
The emergence of pickleball has attracted several former stars of the tennis world. Both John McEnroe and Andre Agassi previously participated in an exhibition in Las Vegas alongside Michael Chang and Andy Roddick, but this time they're aiming for mixed doubles.
Agassi will team up with his wife and 23-times Grand Slam champion Steffi Graf, while McEnroe will partner with former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova. Sharapova sent a message to her fans to promote the event.
“I’m playing pickleball. Not just any pickleball, I am playing with John McEnroe against Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi. Dare I say I’m getting a little competitive. Slightly nervous and anxious," she said previously in a video on her X handle.
The Instagram account Pickleball Slam took advantage of the situation to share a video of a conversation between Sharapova and McEnroe in the form of an interview. In the video, McEnroe directly asks Sharapova about her motivation to compete for the $1 million prize.
McEnroe mentioned that Sharapova probably would prefer playing on hard courts, although he recalled that the Russian had no trouble on grass when she defeated Serena Williams in the final of the 2004 Wimbledon. She secured her first Grand Slam title at just 17 years old.
"I think we could potentially arrange to have it on clay if you want. But I think you're pretty good on the... To me, your hard courts was your best surface, although I did see you beat Serena on the grass. So I like our chances, though. You've just got to get sort of better and more motivated. Are you motivated?" McEnroe asked rhetorically to which Sharapova replied in the affirmative.

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