Genie Bouchard is pumped for Pickleball Slam 4. Are you?
Credit: Pickleball Slam
South Florida’s hottest ticket this week isn’t on a tennis court — it’s inside Hard Rock Live, where racquet and paddle sport icons are colliding in a big-money, prime-time showdown. Pickleball Slam 4 lands in Hollywood on Tuesday, April 15, pairing legends with rising stars in a battle that feels equal parts exhibition and statement match.
Enter Genie Bouchard, the former tennis standout who’s now fully immersed in pickleball — and thriving. “A couple years ago pickleball wasn’t all that much on my radar,” Bouchard tells Browardist. “So, to now be fully immersed in this world is certainly something.”
It’s been a rapid climb. Now ranked inside the top 10 on the PPA Tour, Bouchard has already stacked finals appearances and is embracing the grind. “It was just really fun to challenge myself, learn something new and I feel like I’ve improved… I’ve made a couple finals of tournaments. So, it’s been rewarding to see the goal of mine to get better, to actually see it happen in real time.”
Her next test? A high-stakes, nationally televised clash alongside Anna Leigh Waters — the undisputed queen of the sport. It marks the first time the two will team up, and Bouchard isn’t shy about the advantage. “I like to explain it by saying she’s kind of in a league of her own… you can’t even include her in the group of the number two, three, four kind of group.”
The format leans into drama. Singles matchups kick things off — including Bouchard facing Andre Agassi — before the main event: a doubles showdown against Agassi and James Blake. “It’s kind of like a battle of the sexes… the modern pickleball version of that,” Bouchard says.
Still, she’s keeping expectations grounded. I will be heavily reliant on my partner,” she says. Not a bad problem to have when your partner is the best player in the world.
Strategy is already in motion, with practice sessions planned in South Florida ahead of the match. “We’re actually going to practice a little bit for a few days in Florida… hopefully I can learn a few things, and she can teach me some strategy.”
And the game plan? Simple: make the guys move. “They’re obviously older than us… we want to make them move a lot.”
Win or lose, Bouchard is all-in on the sport’s explosive growth — especially in her adopted home base of South Florida. “These courts are busy from morning’ till night… it just shows the appetite this country has for pickleball.”
One million dollars is on the line. Pride, too. And if Bouchard has her way, the women are walking out with both.
For tickets and more information, visit www.thepickleballslam.com.
