Tennis legend-turned-pickleball ambassador Andre Agassi has seen enough of the world to know when a sport is about to take off somewhere. He is convinced China is next. And the sport? Pickleball.
The eight-time Grand Slam champion and one-time Olympic gold medallist spoke during the China leg of the JOOLA Titans Tour 2026 on Thursday, making the case that the country has everything it needs to become one of pickleball’s dominant forces—and that the window is already opening.
“All the ingredients are right for this part of the world,” Agassi said about China. “You’ve got space, you’ve got land, you’ve got weather, you’ve got facilities. You have a population where if you can get the paddle into young children’s hands, you’re going to start seeing a lot of them break through on a world stage.”
Numbers Reflect Growth
The numbers back him up. According to Sun Wenbing, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Tennis Association, the China Pickleball Tour has grown from 80 tournament stops in 2024 to more than 600 this year—a surge that reflects both rising participation and serious institutional support. That trajectory mirrors China’s historical success in table tennis, where mass participation and early talent development produced generations of world-class athletes.
Agassi’s Family Roots in Pickleball
For Agassi, the road to pickleball began closer to home. He traces his introduction to the sport back to his family—specifically to finding something he and Steffi Graf could play together with their children.
“What got us into it was us playing together as a family,” he said. “Something Steph and I have done our whole life, we were still able to do it with our children. Everybody was enjoying it. We loved that. That’s what got us into it.”
From Recreation to Passion
What started as recreation evolved into something deeper. The sport offered Agassi a rare combination—physical outlet, mental challenge, and the constant sense that improvement was always possible.
“We had to unlearn many things from tennis,” he noted. “So there was a physical outlet, there was a mental challenge, and there was a nuance to it that made us feel every day from the first day that we can get better. And we haven’t stopped feeling that way.”
That feeling, he argues, is exactly why pickleball has grown as fast as it has. Beyond the competition, Agassi sees the social and community dimension as the sport’s real engine, and the reason he has moved from participant to active ambassador, with plans to help build a World Series of Pickleball as a new international competition platform.
“I want to contribute to helping you grow, because I think it adds so much to people’s life health, physical, mental health, an outlet of community,” he said.
Ben Johns on Tennis Background
World No. 1 Ben Johns, who was also present and a major driving force of the JOOLA Titans Tour, addressed one of the sport’s most frequently asked questions—whether a tennis background is a prerequisite for success at the highest level.
“I think that you’ve seen most top players having a background in tennis or table tennis thus far,” Johns said. “But I don’t think it’s fully necessary if you are learning pickleball from a young age.”
Implications for China
The implication for China is significant. A generation of young players picking up the paddle now—without the need to unlearn anything—could produce a level of performance the sport has not yet seen.
Agassi, for one, is not surprised by any of it. “It’s great to see how fast pickleball is growing,” he said. “And I’m just pleased and grateful to be part of it.”
