Tennis News Today: Andre Agassi hails wife Steffi Graf as his secret weapon for Pickleball Slam 2; Nick Kyrgios jokes about training with Roger Federer

Andre Agassi has taken to pickleball these days and has been a part of various events to promote the sport. One such event was the "Pickleball Slam", and now he's gearing up for the second edition of the same.

Agassi has his eyes on the prize and the biggest ace up his sleeve is no one else than his wife, Steffi Graf. Nick Kyrgios opened up about the time he trained with one of his idols, Roger Federer.

Rohan Bopanna, who's set to become the oldest World No. 1 in either singles or doubles, was teased by Novak Djokovic about his achievement. Paula Badosa's ex-boyfriend had some encouraging words to say to Carlos Alcaraz following his exit from the Australian Open.

Here's a round-up of the day's biggest headlines:

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Andre Agassi hails wife Steffi Graf as his trump card for the upcoming Pickleball Slam

Agassi is leaving no stone unturned for the second edition of the Pickleball Slam, which will be held next month. He teamed up with Andy Roddick to win the inaugural edition against John McEnroe and Michael Chang.

This time, Agassi is set to partner with his wife Graf, who's also his secret weapon to win the whole thing once again. However, he was vary of the threat presented by McEnroe's new partner, Maria Sharapova.

"But game plan B is being so much better, (then Steffi Graf points to herself) my secret weapon. We have 30 Grand Slams and Mac has 7. I'm worried about Maria though because if she gets into Pickleball I can see her being effective,” Agassi said.

The Pickleball Slam 2 will be held in Hollywood, Florida on February 4, 2024 with a whopping $1 million in prize money on the line.

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Nick Kyrgios shares a fun memory about training with Roger Federer

Nick Kyrgios at the 2024 Australian Open.

Kyrgios is currently enjoying his new gig as a commentator at the ongoing Australian Open. While covering the quarterfinal clash between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev on Wednesday, he revealed a hilarious story from his younger days, which involved Roger Federer as well.

Federer had invited Kyrgios for a training camp in Switzerland back in the day. The Australian had envisaged a luxurious stay for himself, but it was clearly a case of mismatched expectations. The Swiss had instead made some modest arrangements for him, perhaps in an attempt to keep him humble.

"He invited me for a training week and I thought I was going to be staying in a five, six-star hotel… he put me in a three-star hotel for two weeks. Cheers Rog! The Wi-Fi was patchy, couldn’t even get a good night’s rest, the guy is out there for three, four hours with me the next day," Kyrgios said.

Kyrgios also cleared up rumors regarding his retirement and stated that he had no plans of walking away from the sport as of now.

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Novak Djokovic congratulates Rohan Bopanna on becoming the oldest World No. 1

Bopanna has ensured his ascent to the top of the rankings in men's doubles following his run at the Australian Open. He's also set to be the oldest player to achieve this feat, in either singles or doubles.

Djokovic congratulated Bopanna on this historic milestone, but in a lighter vein, also teased him about the same. The Serb stated that it was quite impressive for the Indian to do so at the young age of 43 years.

"Congratulations Bops, Amazing effort. And to do it at such a young age. Even more impressive," Djokovic wrote, adding a bunch of emojis.

Novak Djokovic congratulates Rohan Bopanna.

Bopanna and his partner Matthew Ebden defeated Tomas Machac and Zhizhen Zhang 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(7) to reach the final in Melbourne on Thursday.

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Paula Badosa's ex-boyfriend shows his support to Carlos Alcaraz following his Australian Open loss

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 Australian Open.

Alcaraz slumped to a 1-6, 3-6, 7-6 (2), 4-6 defeat against Zverev in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. The 20-year-old didn't look to be at his best, but vowed to come out stronger following the loss.

"I’m sad to say goodbye after the defeat, but very grateful for the support these weeks. See you soon Australia," wrote Alcaraz on Instagram.

Badosa's ex-boyfriend, Juan Betancourt, had nothing but kind words to say to his compatriot, Alcaraz.

"You are a phenomenon, Charlie. Keep up with that humility that characterizes you and you will continue to achieve everything you set your mind for! A hug bug!" Betancourt wrote in the comment section.

Juan Betancourt's comment on Carlos Alcaraz's post.

Alcaraz will return to action at the Argentina Open starting from February 12, where he's the defending champion as well. He'll then head to Brazil the following week for the Rio Open.