HOLLYWOOD – The inaugural Pickleball Slam will be held April 2 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood’s Hard Rock Live. The event will be broadcast live on ESPN at 12 p.m.

The Slam will feature tennis legends and Grand Slam winners Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, John McEnroe and Andy Roddick.

Singles matches will pit Roddick against Chang followed by McEnroe versus Agassi. The final match will be a doubles match with McEnroe and Chang competing against Roddick and Agassi. The final match will determine the split of a $1 million purse.

An amateur challenge with 96 teams will be played March 31 and April 1. It is a first-come-first-in basis with a $10,000 team prize and a chance to compete against two of the tennis legends prior to the televised event April 2. The weekend also includes a Saturday night banquet featuring a Q&A with the tennis legends.

“Hard Rock Live has become synonymous with big events, and to have four of the biggest names in American tennis battling for the largest purse in pickleball history on a national live broadcast will only serve to bolster this reputation,” Keith Sheldon, president of Entertainment for Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming, said in a statement.

Pickleball has been around since the 1960s, however the sport’s popularity has only recently begun to soar. It is played with paddles and a plastic ball on courts – or set-ups – that are smaller than tennis courts.

According to the USA Pickleball organization, its membership reached 50,000 in 2021, representing a 43% increase from the previous year.

For more information and to register for the amateur challenge, visit thepickleballslam.com. Tickets for the Slam will go on sale Feb. 10. Horizon Sports & Experiences is the Slam organizer.