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BNP Paribas Showdown at MSG

October 26, 2016

New York, NY – 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 on Monday, March 6, The Madison Square Garden Company and GF Sports announced today. 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.

Del Potro, the 2016 Olympic silver medalist will take on world No. 5 Nishikori, while former world No. 1 Venus Williams will square off against 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.

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.

The BNP Paribas Showdown is produced by MSG Sports and GF Sports. Tickets start at $35.00 and will go on-sale Monday, October 31. They can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, online at thegarden.com and at all Ticketmaster outlets. The event will start at 7:00 pm on Monday, March 6.

“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, 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.”

“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 No. 5 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 US Open, making him the first Asian player to compete in a Grand Slam singles final.

2009 US Open champion del Potro returns to Madison Square Garden 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 No. 42 and just recently captured the Stockholm Open for his first ATP Tour title since 2014.

Williams, 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 No. 15 and will be making her third Showdown appearance.

Current world No. 6 Muguruza beat Serena Williams 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 Williams 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 No. 13, was listed as the No. 1 World Junior in 2013, and has already recorded several top 10 wins, including against world No. 3 Stan Wawrinka at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament earlier this year. He will play Sock, one of the top-ranked American players at world No. 22. Sock is a former junior US 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-and-under with kid-friendly efforts including smaller racquets, lighter balls and modified scoring.

Additional information on the event will be released at a later date.

About The Madison Square Garden Company

The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) is a world leader in live sports and entertainment that presents or hosts a broad array of world-class events – including concerts, sporting events, family shows and special events – in an unparalleled mix of celebrated venues that span four of the nation’s largest entertainment markets. Those venues are: New York’s Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre; the Forum in Inglewood, CA; The Chicago Theatre; and the Wang Theatre in Boston. In addition, MSG has a diverse collection of properties that includes some of the most widely-recognized sports franchises: the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL) and the New York Liberty (WNBA), along with two development league teams — the Westchester Knicks (NBADL) and the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL). The Company also features popular original entertainment productions — the Christmas Spectacular and New York Spectacular – both starring the Radio City Rockettes, and through Boston Calling Events, produces outdoor festivals, including New England’s premier Boston Calling Music Festival. More information is available at themadisonsquaregardencompany.com

About GF Sports

GF Sports is a sports and entertainment content company based in New York, NY and Lynnfield, MA. The company owns and operates several professional tennis and ice skating events, each with a rich tradition and longstanding role in their respective sports. GF Sports events include: · The BNP Paribas Showdown (New York, NY) · The Memphis Open presented by ServiceMaster (Memphis, TN) · The BB&T Atlanta Open (Atlanta, GA) · The Skills Challenge (Orlando, FL) · Nancy Kerrigan’s Halloween On Ice Tour. Throughout their storied histories, these events have hosted hundreds of thousands of fans, celebrities, sponsor guests, and some of the most iconic names in sports, all while generating significant exposure through multiple social, digital, and TV platforms. In addition to its current properties, GF Sports is in development on several other exciting and innovative sporting events.