A star-studded line up of tennis greats will be featured at the 10th edition of the BNP Paribas Showdown. The annual tennis showcase, which coincides with the “World Tennis Day,” will take place once more at the Madison Square Garden.
The featured players for this year’s edition are Juan Martin del Potro, Kei Nishikori, Nick Kyrgios, Jack Sock, Venus Williams, Garbiñe Muguruza, Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt.
Roddick and Hewitt, both former world number ones and Grand Slam champions, will square off in a battle of recently retired tennis stars. Del Potro, the Olympic silver medalist at the Rio Games, will face fifth-ranked Nishikori. Venus Williams, fresh from a runner-up finish at the Australian Open, will play against reigning French Open champion Muguruza. The Sock and Kyrgios match will surely light up the mood at the Garden court.
“I played the World Tennis Day event in Hong Kong a few years ago and love the concept of a worldwide celebration of tennis,” said Hewitt. “I am really excited about playing Andy at Madison Square Garden which is one of the great venues for our sport. Should be an exciting night for everyone.”
“Playing at Madison Square Garden is a bucket list item for any entertainer, especially for a tennis player … that’s normally saved for rock stars and basketball players,” added Roddick. “To play Roger there in 2012, it was such an amazing atmosphere … when I got the invite to come back, I was going to do everything I could to make that a reality.”
The 10th anniversary BNP Paribas Showdown is produced by MSG Sports and GF Sports. Tickets start at $35.00 and are currently on-sale. They can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, online at www.thegarden.com and at all Ticketmaster outlets.
The BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden will once again headline a full day of nationwide activities as part of “World Tennis Day,” a global tennis participation effort. All events promote tailoring the game to players 10-and under with smaller racquets, lighter balls and modified scoring.
