Maria Sharapova set to pick up the racket once again as she signs up alongside Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi and John McEnroe for pickleball

The Pickleball Slam will take place in February next year.

Maria Sharapova set to pick up the racket once again as she signs up alongside Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi and John McEnroe for pickleball

The 2024 Pickleball Slam contestants(Image via @pickleballslam/X)

Former Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova is set to pick up her racket once again. However, this time around it will be a pickleball paddle instead of her regular weapon, the tennis racket. She will be joined by other tennis greats such as Steffi Graf, John McEnroe and Andre Agassi, all of whom have held the No.1 position at some point in their tennis career.

The Russian will be participating in the second edition of the Pickleball Slam which will take part on the 4th February 2024. The first edition took place in April 2023. The first edition of the event was nearly as star-studded, with Michael Chang, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and John McEnroe as participants. While it is a repeat of the inaugural edition for Agassi and McEnroe, Graff and Sharapova will be new faces in the event.

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The Pickleball Slam will take place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The four tennis veterans will pick up their paddles and compete for a prize money of $1 million. The first edition of the event saw Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi take home the trophy. While this time Agassi will be participating once again, Roddick has hung up his paddle.

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The last edition of the match saw Agassi and Roddick teaming up against McEnroe and Chang. The match saw Agassi and Roddick getting the better of their opponents. In the second edition of the Pickleball Slam, Agassi will be teaming up with his wife Steffi Graf against John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova. Sharapova and Graff will be new additions to the event.

Related: Rafael Nadal’s son has already picked up the tennis racket discloses the 22-time Grand Slam winner

Sharapova had the mental box even in her early days says coach Rick Macci

Rick Macci trained both Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams in their early days. However, the American coach has pointed out a difference that the two players had even early on.

Maria Sharapova and Rick Macci
Maria Sharapova(L) and Rick Macci(R)(Image via Los Angeles Times and Daily Express)

Both players have met each other on a court numerous times. However, coach Rick Macci has said that Sharapova possessed the “ability to forget.” According to the American coach, Williams possessed all the physical qualities required to win titles. However, she did not possess the mental ability to forget.

“That is why I love Sharapova. Even at 11, she was in a bubble. Even though she was limited athletically, she had the mental box already. I didn’t see it in Serena, ” he said. This comparison shows that while Williams was athletically superior, the Russian had a better mental state while playing.

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