Patrick McEnroe will take part in the first ever pickleball slam as an announcer and he sat down with ESPN ahead of the event to talk about it.
McEnroe will get to see his brother playing in the event as John is one of the players. Alongside McEnroe, we'll also see Agassi, Chang and Roddick. It won't be tennis but it will be pickleball, a sport that combines elements of tennis with other sports. Asked about what he expects from it, Patrick said:
"I have absolutely no idea what to expect. And that’s exciting. I’m
actually going into this, for the first time in my life, deliberately
under-preparing. I want to be surprised as I think this will be more fun and exciting
for the fans and there will also be two pickleball experts in the booth
with us."
He's familair with the sport having played it a few times but is no expert:
"I’ve played pickleball a couple of times and have a reasonable understanding of the rules. I also saw Chris posted a video recently of himself playing
pickleball. It is going to be fun, and on Sunday, the burning question
for all of us tennis players will be answered — is pickleball a real
sport or not?"
He was also asked about the incredible rise in popularity:
"We have yet to go down the pickleball rabbit hole at our
John McEnroe Tennis Academy on Randell’s Island (NYC). But you know, many tennis facilities are thinking of changing a lot of their courts to pickleball. Anything that gets rackets in people’s hands, I’m all for."