2 weeks Ago
New Delhi: New Delhi: Eight-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 tennis player Andre Agassi is set to visit India in Jan 2025 to officially flag off the PWR DUPR Indian Tour and League, the result of a partnership between The Times Group , Pickleball World Rankings (PWR) and Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR). This follows the recent announcement of a new rankings structure announced by PWR as well as PWR World Tour and PWR World Series.
Agassi, whose titles included four Australian Opens, a French Open, a Wimbledon, and two US Opens, as well as a gold medal in men’s singles at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, expressed his excitement to be part of this venture. In a special video message for his Indian fans, Agassi said, “I’m excited to visit India and bring the excitement of pickleball to its fans. I look forward to the PWR DUPR Indian Tour and League and hope it will be a great success in the country.
” Commenting on Agassi's upcoming visit, Pranav Kohli, CEO and Founder of PWR, said, “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Andre Agassi to India as he flags off the PWR DUPR Indian Tour and League. His involvement brings a tremendous boost to our efforts to promote pickleball in India and globally. We are quite confident this league will set new benchmarks for pickleball in India.
” Times Group managing director Vineet Jain said, “We are excited to have Andre Agassi at the launch of PWR DUPR Indian Tour and League. India is one of the fastest-growing markets for pickleball, outside the US. Player participation, infrastructure, and facilities in pickleball are seeing growth not only in metro cities but also in smaller cities.
Beyond recreational play, the sport is also evolving professionally in the country, with several players now pursuing it as a full-time career.” Ahead of the PWR DUPR Indian Tour and League, the PWR DUPR India Masters, including Battle of the League: Stage 1, a one-off PWR 700 event, will take place in New Delhi from Oct 24-27. The Battle of the Leagues will feature team-based competition for amateurs.
Event partners include DUPR, Minor League Pickleball, Pickleball United, FansPlay, the Indian Pickleball Association, the Asian Pickleball Association, and the Global Pickleball Federation. In addition to the $50K prize money, the winning teams in each category of the Battle of the Leagues will secure a spot in the DUPR Nationals in US, with PWR covering their travel and accommodation expenses. All PWR DUPR events are sanctioned by Indian Pickleball Association (the apex pickleball body in India), Asian Pickleball Association, and Global Pickleball Federation (the rule making and official world governing body of pickleball).
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