BNP Paribas Showdown Celebrates a Decade at MSG
Del Potro, Nishikori, Venus, Muguruza, Kyrgios and Sock to headline March 6th event
The 10th anniversary of the BNP Paribas Showdown will bring past, current and future stars to the Madison Square Garden court for a terrific night of tennis, Monday, March 6, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. Juan Martin del Potro, Kei Nishikori, Venus Williams, Garbiñe Muguruza, Nick Kyrgios, Jack Sock and a legends matchup to be named later, will square off in the 10th anniversary edition of the annual tennis showcase at The World’s Most Famous Arena.
Del Potro, the 2016 Olympic Silver Medalist will take on world number five Nishikori, while former world number one Venus Williams will square off against the reigning French Open champion Muguruza. Kyrgios and Sock, two exciting young stars on the rise, will provide a glimpse of what the future has in store for tennis fans.
“Since 2008, playing the Showdown at The Garden has become a ‘must’ amongst the biggest stars in the game, and as we celebrate the 10th Showdown we’re looking forward to another special night of tennis,” said Joel Fisher, executive vice president, Marquee Events/Operations for The Madison Square Garden Company. “The Showdown has continually entertained thousands of tennis fans and provided many lasting moments. And, how can we forget Ben Stiller, Rory McIllroy and Redfoo taking to the Garden court? You never know what or who you’ll see when tennis comes to The World’s Most Famous Arena.”
Over the course of its decade at Madison Square Garden, the BNP Paribas Showdown has become a must-see event, from superstar Pete Sampras showing a younger Roger Federer he can still play in the inaugural matchup in 2008, to last year’s electrifying performances by Serena Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils. The event has also hosted a who’s who in the world of tennis, including: Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Mike and Bob Bryan, John and Patrick McEnroe, Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Monica Seles and Gabriela Sabatini.
"It is incredible to think this will be our 10th Showdown," said Showdown creator Jerry Solomon. "We have been fortunate to have had just about every tennis superstar of the last 30 years play at Madison Square Garden, and this year will be no different, with our compelling slate of great players spanning eras. And we’ll also be including some twists on the traditional tennis format that will allow fans to see more action than ever before in a more compact schedule. On March 6, the BNP Paribas Showdown and The Garden will once again be the place to be for the most exciting tennis."
Nishikori, currently ranked fifth in the world, is the only male Japanese player to ever be ranked in the top 10. He has compiled 11 singles titles and was a finalist in the 2014 U.S. Open, making him the first Asian player to compete in a Grand Slam singles final.
Former U.S. Open champion del Potro returns to MSG for his second appearance at the BNP Paribas Showdown. The 6’6” Argentine, who is playing strong and blazing the comeback trail after three wrist operations that sidelined his career, is currently ranked 42nd in the world and just recently captured the Stockholm Open for his first ATP Tour title since 2014.
Venus, arguably one of the greatest female players of all time, is a seven-time Grand Slam champion, five-time Wimbledon Champion, four-time Olympic Gold Medalist, and winner of 49 singles titles. She is currently ranked 15th in the world and will be making her third Showdown appearance.
Current world number six Muguruza beat Serena = in the finals of the 2016 French Open to capture her first Grand Slam title. She holds 10 career singles titles and was runner up at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships. She will make her Madison Square Garden debut as she tries to beat Venus for the first time in four attempts.
Two rising ATP Tour stars, Sock and Kyrgios, will compete in their first ever match-up at Madison Square Garden. Kyrgios, ranked 13th, was listed as the number one World Junior in 2013, and has already recorded several top 10 wins, including against world number three Stan Wawrinka at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament earlier this year. He will play Sock, one of the top-ranked American players at 22nd in the world. Sock is a former junior U.S. Open champion and has been in three finals on the ATP Tour.
The BNP Paribas Showdown will apply several new innovative formats currently being experimented in the world of tennis to help speed up the game. The format enhancements will make the Showdown an even more fast-paced, exciting event for the fans.
The BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden will once again headline a full day of worldwide activities as part of “World Tennis Day,” a global tennis participation effort. All events promote tailoring the game to players 10 & Under with kid-friendly efforts including smaller racquets, lighter balls and modified scoring.
The BNP Paribas Showdown is produced by MSG Sports and GF Sports. Tickets start at $35 and will go on sale Monday, Oct. 31. They can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, online at TheGarden.com and at all Ticketmaster outlets.
