“It’s a weird thing for me to just totally carry Andre to victory and then he kind of just kicked me out of the event.” Andre Agassi‘s former Pickleball partner and 2003 US Open winner Andy Roddick said last year. Former ATP great Agassi and Roddick, were the stars of the Pickleball Slam’s first edition back in 2023. They emerged as the winning duo after defeating John McEnroe and Michael Chang 21-15, 21-23, 12-10. But then, in a fun twist, Agassi snubbed him for his wife and WTA icon Steffi Graf. She will be his partner in the upcoming third edition. And it appears Roddick is still not over on how Agassi ignored him.

The much-awaited Pickleball Slam 3 encounter will take place on February 16 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf will take on Andy Roddick and his new partner, Canadian tennis pro Eugenie Bouchard. Ahead of the match, Roddick hasn’t forgotten to diss his former partner. On various intervals, he expressed his disappointment with how Agassi left him and brought in his wife. In yet another admission, he made his annoyance evident. But hey, there’s nothing serious here – just a playful war of words going on before the anticipated battle. Seems like Roddick is trying to play mind games to put pressure on the opposition.

The official Instagram account of Pickleball shared a new clip, dated January 28, featuring Andy Roddick. Of course, he mentioned how Agassi overlooked him. Without showing that he was hurt, he confessed that he was! “Does it bother me that Andre chose Steffi over me for the Slam? Like No. It’s just live on ESPN and there’s a bunch of people watching.”

He said his “kids were proud of me” when he won with him “But no. It’s fine. I’m fine.” Just before the clip ended, however, he then displayed his frustration as he asked the interviewer to “Just go.”

But this isn’t the first time he’s targeted Agassi before the Pickleball Slam 3. After Agassi confirmed that he would partner with his wife Graf, the former American ATP had a strong, yet playful, reaction. In a video shared by the event’s official Instagram account, he said, “I guess that what happens when you have a wife who is the best of all time as an option.”

With Roddick continuing trash talk, is there something the opponents have to say? Of course yes! Remember last year when Agassi took a jab at Roddick while issuing a stern warning?

Andre Agassi tries to build pressure on Andy Roddick and Eugenie Bouchard before Pickleball Slam 3

So far, Andre Agassi has won the Pickleball Slam on two occasions. Firstly, he lifted the trophy with Roddick two years ago, and then in 2024 when he joined forces with his wife and 22-time Major winner Steffi Graf. A year ago, they defeated the pair of Maria Sharapova and John McEnroe. Now with the third season on its way, the 8-time Grand Slam champion is leaving no chance of putting the pressure back on the opponents. Yes, he will be against Roddick this time, his former partner, but it appears he doesn’t care. He just wants to win!

Last year, he was seen getting into a fun war of words against Roddick. In a video from Pickleball’s Instagram account featuring Agassi, he said, “Yo Andy, I heard that the teams are all set for the Pickleball Slam 3. You and Genie got the ‘Big’ John Isner. Me and Stef got Mardy Fish. Well, we welcome Mardy Fish. And we also welcome the b**t-kicking that we’re gonna drop on you guys. Feb 16, right here in our hometown in Las Vegas. Better show up.”

In another clip, taking a sly dig at Roddick via her partner Eugenie Bouchard, he said, “For me, the calculus is knowing that she’s going to be the only one out there in that competitive environment, who has learned how to manage her blood pressure and nerves and energy right… I think the plan is to always go after the weakness so I think we’re going to play her as little as possible. We’re going to check Andy’s oil.”

To this, however, Bouchard had an interesting response. Sharing this clip on her IG story, she wrote a caption saying “@agassi sounds scared.” One can only expect for the temperature to rise as the match date approaches fast. Which team will eventually have the last laugh and take home the massive prize money of $1 million next month? Let us know in the comments below.