BNP Paribas Showdown on World Tennis Day

Written by: Staff on 5th January 2013

Brisbane International tennis tournament

BNP Paribas Showdown on World Tennis Day

epa03522789 World no. 1, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus returns to Ksenia Pervak of Russia during their quarterfinals match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane, Australia, 03 January 2013. EPA/DAN PELED AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT |

BNP PARIBAS SHOWDOWN AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN ON MARCH 4, 2013

WILL BE PART OF INAUGURAL WORLD TENNIS DAY

RAFAEL NADAL, JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO, SERENA WILLIAMS AND VICTORIA AZARENKA TO CONTINUE THE TRADITION OF TENNIS AT THE GARDEN

ON TENNIS NIGHT IN AMERICA

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

New York, NY (January 3, 2013) – The BNP Paribas Showdown brings tennis back to Madison Square Garden for the sixth time on March 4 featuring Grand Slam champions Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Juan Martin del Potro and Rafael Nadal. Once again, the event will headline a full day of nationwide activities as part of Tennis Night in America, but in 2013, the BNP Paribas Showdown will also be part of a global tennis participation effort on the inaugural World Tennis Day.

World Tennis Day will be held with the support of the International Tennis Federation to promote Tennis10s, which tailors the game to its youngest players with smaller racquets, lighter balls and modified scoring. The cornerstones of World Tennis Day are grassroots opportunities for young players to participate in the sport at the local level. The day is highlighted by BNP Paribas Showdown events in Hong Kong as well as the annual event at Madison Square Garden in New York. The World Tennis Day effort complements the ongoing Tennis Night in America initiative to promote 10-and-under tennis by the United States Tennis Association that has been held in conjunction with the BNP Paribas Showdown for five years.

“World Tennis Day is an opportunity for us to take the template of what has worked so well here with the USTA and Tennis Night in America to a global stage,” said Jerry Solomon, executive producer and President of StarGames, Inc. “Last year more than 2,000 clubs participated in Tennis Night in America activities around the BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden. Youth participation in tennis is something we strongly believe in, so it seemed natural to try to build upon the success we’ve had in the US by partnering with the ITF in a global effort with World Tennis Day.”

Once again the BNP Paribas Showdown exclusively features players who have either won Grand Slams or ranked No. 1 in the World, if not both. Entering the 2013 season, the 17 all-time participants of the event at Madison Square Garden boast a combined 100 Grand Slam singles titles, 694 titles overall and a total of 1,561 weeks ranked No. 1.

Azarenka and Williams won three of the four Grand Slams last year (2012 Showdown participant Maria Sharapova won the other). The current World No. 1, Azarenka won the 2012 Australian Open to assume the top spot in the rankings. Williams was victorious at Wimbledon and the US Open while also bringing home gold medals in singles and doubles at the London Olympics. The two played each other in the final of the US Open in 2012, and will renew their rivalry on Friday (overnight Thursday in the US) in the semifinals of the WTA event in Brisbane, Australia.

Nadal will be making his first appearance in the US after a long injury layoff when he takes on del Potro in the BNP Paribas Showdown. In 2012, Nadal won a record seventh French Open title, but a knee injury prevented him from playing after Wimbledon. The start of the Spaniard’s 2013 season has been delayed by a stomach virus. The 11-time Grand Slam champion joins Andre Agassi as the only players to have completed a career Golden Slam. In 2009, Argentina’s del Potro broke through to win the US Open title. After wrist surgery in 2010, he returned to his top form in 2012, winning four titles and reaching the quarterfinals in three of the four Grand Slams.

The BNP Paribas Showdown is produced by MSG Sports and StarGames. Tickets start at $50.00 and are on sale now at the Madison Square Garden box office, online at www.thegarden.com and all Ticketmaster outlets. More information about World Tennis Day events and the BNP Paribas Showdown matches in New York and Hong Kong can be found online at www.WorldTennisDay.com. The Hong Kong event will feature John McEnroe against Ivan Lendl and Caroline Wozniacki against Li Na.