Tennis Legends Set to Entertain Crowds in Exhibition Match

Written by: Staff on 21st January 2011

Tennis Legends Set to Entertain Crowds in Exhibition Match

John McEnroe (USA) |

The Family Circle Cup and InsideOut Sports + Entertainment announce the return of Game, Set, Rock! Tennis. Amplified presented by Dove, an evening of music and tennis entertainment featuring John McEnroe, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, and Todd Martin, beginning at 7:30pm on Saturday, April 9, 2011. McEnroe will defend his Game, Set, Rock! singles title during this tennis exhibition, which will feature singles and mixed doubles action. Marking the tournament’s 39^th consecutive year, the Family Circle Cup is scheduled April 2-10, 2011 at the Family Circle Tennis Center in the Best Tennis Town in America, Charleston, South Carolina.

“We’re bringing in some of the biggest names in tennis to once again provide our fans with an evening of fun and excitement on finals weekend,” said Bob Moran, General Manager, Charleston Tennis, LLC. “Building off last year’s success, we felt it appropriate to bring back two of our greatest champions with Chris and Martina, while at the same time providing our fans with two superstars of men’s tennis in John and Todd.”

Tickets for this special night of tennis will be available as a stand-alone ticketed session beginning at 10:00am on Tuesday, February 8^th, 2011 via Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster Charge-by-Phone (800) 745-3000, local Publix outlets. Tickets will also be available after the public on-sale date at the Family Circle Tennis Center ticket office, weekdays, from Monday through Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm. Box Level seating will be available for $50, Terrace Level for $35, and Grandstand for $20.

“InsideOut is proud to again partner with the Family Circle Cup to bring world class tennis entertainment to Charleston,” said Jon Venison, Founding Partner of InsideOut Sports & Entertainment.

John McEnroe burst onto the international tennis scene prior to becoming a student at Stanford University. In 1977, McEnroe broke through from the qualifying rounds to reach the Wimbledon semifinals. He turned pro the following year after one year in college. McEnroe won 17 Grand Slam titles – seven in singles (3 Wimbledon, 4 U.S. Open): 10 in doubles (5 Wimbledon, 4 U.S. Open, 1 French Open). He played on U.S. Davis Cup teams a record 13 years, helping to win the cup for his country five times (1978, ‘79, ‘81, ‘82, ‘92). McEnroe finished the year as No. 1 player in the world four different times (1981-84), becoming the youngest man ever to achieve the No. 1 ranking. In 1980, he played a match that many consider to be the best in the history of tennis – a five-set marathon loss to Borg in the Wimbledon final. The next year, McEnroe reversed that result, beating Borg at Wimbledon, and again at the U.S. Open. He notched 155 career titles: 77 in singles, 78 in doubles.

McEnroe has been very successful on the Champions Series (CS) since 2005. Today, in addition to competing on the CS, the 50-year-old tennis legend works as a TV Commentator and owns an art gallery.

“I had a lot of fun at this event last year, and I’m glad to be able to return and defend my title” commented John McEnroe. “I’m excited to compete with this group of stars because I know we will play some highly competitive tennis.”

Chris Evert, one of the most loved and respected players in the history of the game, owns 154 singles titles (ranks second in the Open Era) including 18 majors, which ties her with Martina Navratilova for fourth on the all-time list. She has notched the highest winning percentage in pro tennis history (.900), the best record on clay of any player for any single surface with a 125-match win streak set from August 1973-May 1979, and holds the Open Era record for most consecutive Grand Slam semifinals or better with 34, from the 1971 US Open through 1983 Roland Garros. Evert reached the semifinals or better in 52 of her last 56 majors.

This former World No. 1 was never ranked below No. 4 from 1972-1989, and won at least one major per year for 13 year (1974-86). Evert won her 1,000th career singles match during 1984 Australian Open, becoming first player, male or female, to reach that landmark, and ended her career second in total career match wins with 1,309.

Evert has enjoyed incredible success at the US Open, reaching the semifinals or better in 17 of 20 appearances. She made her first appearance at only 16 years old, and proceeded to win 101 matches, more than any other player, male or female.

She was also a member of the US Fed Cup Team throughout several periods of her career (1977-82, 86-87, 89), as well as the US Wightman Cup Team (1971-73, 75-82, 84-85) and the US Olympic Team in 1988.

In addition to eight Family Circle Cup singles titles (1974-78, 81, 84-85) and two doubles titles (1977, 86), Evert holds many of this tournament’s most prestigious records. Beginning with a title in her first appearance at this event, and ending with the Cup’s best win/loss record (50-3), her dominance set marks for most singles titles (8), most consecutive singles titles (5), most singles finals played (9), most singles matches played (53), most matches won (50), most consecutive matches won (32), most consecutive sets won (64), most years seeded No. 1 (9), fewest games lost in a tournament (12), and fewest games in a singles final (13). Evert was also awarded the 1995 Family Circle Player Who Makes A Difference Award.

“I’ve always enjoyed competing at the Family Circle Cup throughout my career, and it will be very nice to be able to play at the tournament’s new home on Daniel Island,” said Chris Evert. “I won some of my most cherished titles at this event, so it will surely bring back fond memories when I step onto the court in April.”

Martina Navratilova, one of the most successful female players in the game, owns 167 singles titles, more than any man or woman in history, including 18 majors, which ties her with Evert for fourth on the all-time list. This former World No. 1 also holds 177 doubles titles, WTA Tour record, and 10 mixed doubles titles, all 10 occurring at majors. Her final major doubles title was earned at the 2006 US Open, in the final match of her career, marking her 354th professional title. Navratilova is tied with Billie Jean King for the all-time record with 20 Wimbledon titles. She is the first man or woman in the Open Era to have notched the Super Slam, winning singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at all four majors. Navratilova has won at least one WTA Tour event a year for 21 consecutive years, and also won singles and doubles titles at same event 84 times, leading all players.

She was ranked No.1 for a total of 331 weeks, second only to Steffi Graf. With Pam Shriver, Navratilova holds a record of 109 consecutive doubles matches won (April 24, 1983 to July 6, 1985).

Born in the Czech Republic, she competed on the Czech Fed Cup Team in 1975. She became a US Citizen on July 21, 1981, and then competed for the US Fed Cup Team (1982-86, 1989, 1995, 2003-04), US Wightman Cup Team (1983). and US Olympic Team 2004.

Navratilova was inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000, named Female Athlete of the Decade (80s) by The National Sports Review, UPI and AP, named WTA Tour Player of the Year a record-tying seven times (1978-79, 1982-86, tied w/Graf).

In addition to four Family Circle Cup singles titles (1982-83, 88, 90), all paired with doubles championships, as well as three additional doubles titles (1978-79, 89), Navratilova also holds many records at this event. She ranks third in most singles matches played (45), and has set the mark for most consecutive doubles finals (3), most appearances in doubles finals (8), and most 3-set matches (15). Navratilova also went on to notch a series of accolades due to her longevity on the WTA Tour, becoming the oldest Cup champion in 1990 (33 years, 5 months), and the oldest singles participant in 2005 (48 years, 6 months).

“The Family Circle Cup burst onto the scene as a truly groundbreaking tournament in the early seventies, setting the bar for professional women’s tennis, and it continues to be a very well-respected event on Tour,” said Martina Navratilova. “I’m really looking forward to playing in Charleston.”

Todd Martin played tennis for two years at Northwestern University before turning professional in 1990, and burst onto the pro tennis scene as a young American in 1991 where he reached the Round of 16 at Roland Garros. In 1993, he captured his first of eight ATP singles title at Coral Springs. Martin notched a wide array of notable results throughout his career highlighted by his performances as a member of the winning US Davis Cup team in 1995, as well as finals appearances at two majors, the 1994 Australian Open and 1999 US Open. He became World No. 4 player after his 1999 success, the highest ranking of his career. Posting a 411-234 singles record, Martin accumulated career earnings of $8,254,455. He currently competed on the Champions Series, and resides in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, with his wife, daughter, and two sons.

“Anytime you bring together a group of fun and engaging personalities like the players assembled for this exhibition match, the fans are sure to bring home memories to last a lifetime,” said Todd Martin.

Family Circle Cup ticket packages and individual session tickets are available now. Fans can visit FamilyCircleCup.com for continuous updates on ticket information and player commitments as the tournament approaches.