Tennis champions Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf are taking their sporting influence into pickleball through a product and business collaboration with equipment maker JOOLA. The partnership has produced signature paddle collections shaped by the couple's experience in racket sports, while Agassi Sports Entertainment has outlined broader plans involving equipment, events, digital content and facilities. The move reflects an effort to turn a celebrated tennis legacy into a continuing role in the growth of another racket sport.
The collaboration is not simply a new celebrity endorsement. JOOLA says Agassi and Graf have been involved in developing product shapes and standards, while company announcements describe a wider ambition to make pickleball more accessible to players at different levels. The commercial activity also sits alongside Agassi Sports Entertainment's plans to develop a wider business around pickleball and padel.
How the JOOLA partnership developed
JOOLA announced its partnership with Agassi on 19 August 2024. The announcement described a collaboration to launch pickleball equipment and accessories, and said the agreement was intended to support the sport's international growth. The date was also the 30th anniversary of Agassi's first US Open title, connecting the announcement to a major moment in his tennis career.
The initial collaboration later expanded to include Graf. JOOLA's product pages now present Agassi and Graf collections, explaining that the paddle designs were developed in close partnership with the players. The company says the shape was created from their vision and combined with JOOLA's product engineering to meet the demands of pickleball.
In March 2025, JOOLA announced Agassi Pro and Graf Pro signature paddles. Its product announcement described 14mm and 16mm Agassi Pro options and a 16mm Graf Pro model, with TechFlex Power technology included in the range. The company said the distinctive shape was inspired by the tennis rackets associated with the pair and designed to extend the sweet spot towards the upper part of the paddle.
More than a name on a paddle
The product strategy is built around translating experience from one racket sport to another. Tennis and pickleball have different court dimensions, equipment and movement patterns, but both reward timing, control, placement and anticipation. A signature product developed with elite players can communicate a design philosophy to consumers, although performance still depends on a player's own technique, preferences and level.
JOOLA's official pages list products for different styles of play, including Agassi and Graf models and different paddle thicknesses. That range allows the partnership to reach beyond collectors or fans of the two champions and speak to recreational players looking for equipment suited to their game. The company also describes the collaboration as a way to encourage participation in pickleball.
The partnership has included a community element. JOOLA's Agassi-Graf page describes a Let's Play paddle donation programme announced for Giving Tuesday 2025, under which the company said it would donate a paddle for every paddle sold from the Agassi x JOOLA collection on JOOLA.com during the programme. The initiative links product sales with an effort to widen access to the sport.
Agassi Sports Entertainment's wider business ambitions
The equipment range forms part of a larger commercial picture. In July 2025, Agassi Sports Entertainment announced a collaboration and licensing agreement with JOOLA relating to potential future pickleball ventures. The company said areas for possible joint work included products, live events, exhibitions, competitions, wellness projects and media content. These were described as opportunities the parties planned to identify and pursue, rather than a list of completed ventures.
The company's next steps have included a broader facilities strategy. In August 2026, Agassi Sports Entertainment announced its global Let's Play pickleball and padel platform initiative. The stated plan is to pursue acquisitions, partnerships and franchising opportunities to build a network of clubs. The company identified Germany and Australia as expected initial international markets for that initiative.
That strategy shows how the business ambitions extend beyond selling paddles. Facilities, events and community programmes can create places for people to play, while digital content and coaching initiatives can connect participants with the sport between visits to a court. The company has presented these areas as parts of an integrated racket-sports platform, though its plans remain subject to execution and future partnerships.
Why the move matters for pickleball
Agassi and Graf bring global recognition from tennis, but the longer-term value of their involvement will depend on whether products and programmes attract players who might not otherwise have tried pickleball. JOOLA's stated emphasis on players at different levels, along with its donation initiative, gives the partnership a participation angle as well as a commercial one.
For India, where racket-sport communities include tennis, badminton and an expanding pickleball audience, the collaboration is an example of how established athletes and equipment brands can help introduce a sport to new groups. JOOLA also maintains an India-facing product presence for the Agassi and Graf ranges. Local growth, however, will depend on access to courts, coaching, affordable equipment and organised opportunities to play.
Agassi and Graf's transition from tennis champions to pickleball collaborators is therefore best understood as a developing business and participation project, not a single product launch. Their work with JOOLA has already produced signature equipment, while the wider plans point towards facilities, events and community-building. Whether that combination creates lasting growth will be measured by the number of people who take up the sport and continue playing.
Frequently asked questions
What is Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf's pickleball business venture?
Agassi and Graf have partnered with equipment company JOOLA to develop signature pickleball paddles and products. The collaboration uses their playing experience and design input, while Agassi Sports Entertainment has also outlined wider plans involving pickleball products, events, facilities and community programmes.
Which company is working with Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf on pickleball equipment?
JOOLA is the equipment partner. The company announced its partnership with Agassi in August 2024 and later expanded the product collaboration to include Graf. JOOLA's official product pages list separate Agassi and Graf paddle ranges developed with input from the tennis champions.
What makes the Agassi and Graf pickleball paddles different?
JOOLA says the signature paddle shape was developed from Agassi and Graf's vision and inspired by their tennis experience. The design extends the sweet spot towards the upper edges of the paddle. JOOLA has offered models in different thicknesses and configurations for varied playing preferences.
When did Andre Agassi partner with JOOLA?
JOOLA announced its partnership with Andre Agassi on 19 August 2024. The announcement said the collaboration would develop pickleball equipment and accessories, with the aim of supporting the sport's growth. Graf's own equipment line was subsequently incorporated into the collaboration.
What is Agassi Sports Entertainment's wider pickleball plan?
Agassi Sports Entertainment has described plans to pursue pickleball products, events, exhibitions, competitions, media content and wellness projects with partners. Its 2026 Let's Play initiative adds ambitions for a network of pickleball and padel facilities through acquisitions, collaborations and franchising opportunities.