Tennis Legends John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Stefanie Graf and Maria Sharapova set to compete for a $1 Million Purse.
“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 an 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.”
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 Graff, who have 30 combined Grand Slam singles titles. The inaugural Pickleball Slam showcases McEnroe, Agassi, Andy Roddick and Michael Chang competing for the $1 million purse, the largest tournament purse in pickleball history. A first-of-its-kind event, the telecast was the highest-rated competition in pickleball history.
“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 to be a special evening of pickleball.”
The weekend will once again feature the Amateur Slam Challenge on Friday, Feb. 2 and Saturday, Feb. 3. 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 Slam Amateur Challenge, visit https://thepickleballslam.com.