Jaden Agassi, the son of tennis legends Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, made his debut at the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, but it didn’t go to plan for the 23-year-old pitcher
Jaden Agassi, offspring of tennis royals and avid pickleball enthusiasts Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, who still follow the same golden marriage rule, didn’t have the debut he hoped for at the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers back in March.
Choosing to swing the bat instead of the racket—a departure from his parents’ famed court careers—the young pitcher stumbled during Germany’s 9-7 defeat by Brazil.
With Andre, who once coached Novak Djokovic, and Steffi watching, Jaden faced a tough time pitching. He yielded four earned runs along with three hits and two walks, all within less than an inning, prompting Germany’s coaches to pull him off.
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The 23-year-old dual national, part German courtesy of his mother, aims to better represent Germany in the next game against Columbia on Tuesday.
Before stepping onto the baseball diamond for the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, Jaden shared his excitement with MLB.
“I’m so excited [to play for Germany],” he said. “It’s been a dream of mine since I was a little boy to compete on an international scale. [I want to] make my mum proud, make Germany proud and do them right.
“I started playing baseball when I was six years old in T-ball. I loved it. I’ve picked up a tennis racket a good amount, but it was always hard for me to keep that ball in between the lines. I just wanted to hit that thing as far as I could. Baseball had my love since day one.”
Despite being the son of celebrated athletes, Jaden has pointed out that his parents never forced sports upon him, contrasting greatly with their own intense focus on tennis during their youth.
