New York, NY, February 20, 2010 – Serena Williams, the Billie Jean King Cup’s defending champion, has withdrawn from the upcoming BNP Paribas Showdown, scheduled for Monday, March 1, 2010 at Madison Square Garden, it was announced today.
Williams, who qualified for the Showdown based on her 2009 victories at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, has withdrawn due to a leg injury sustained during her recent run to the Australian Open Championships. This injury has also forced Williams out of WTA events in Paris and Dubai.
Former French Open Champion, Ana Ivanovic has been added to round out the field. Only current and former Grand Slam champions or year ending World No. 1 ranked players are eligible for the one night event.
"I'm very disappointed I won't be able to compete in the Billie Jean King Cup this year,” said Williams. “I loved playing in this event last year and was really looking forward to returning to New York and Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately I am still recovering from my leg injury in Australia and am not quite ready to compete at the highest level. I wish the event a great success and look forward to seeing my fans in New York in the fall."
Williams was to face Kim Clijsters in a semifinal matchup. The match would have marked the first time the two players will have faced each other since the semifinals of the 2009 US Open.
Ivanovic, who competed in last year’s BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup, is a former World No. 1 player and captured the 2008 French Open Championship defeating Dinara Safina in the final. A UNICEF Ambassador in her native Serbia, Ivanovic is a former recipient of the WTA Humanitarian of the Year Award.
Earlier this month, Ivanovic was one of the featured athletes in Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue. She was voted No. 11 in the 2009 FHM Sexiest Women in the World Poll, and is nominated for that same list in 2010.
Ivanovic will replace Williams in the draw resulting in semifinal pairings of Ivanovic vs. Kim Clijsters and Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Venus Williams and will be played in this order.
"First of all I would like to wish Serena a speedy recovery. I've had my fair share of injuries lately and it for sure must be a very frustrating time for her," Ivanovic said. "I am very happy and flattered to be invited to take part in this event once again. I had a great time last year, both on and off the court. No-ad scoring is such an exciting concept, for both spectators and players. Last year I had a very intense match against Serena; the atmosphere was amazing. I expect a very tough and exciting contest with Kim in just over a week's time."
Limited VIP tickets and additional tickets for $250.00, $125.00, $75.00, $50.00 and $25.00 are currently on sale and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office, all Ticketmaster outlets and online at www.thegarden.com.
The “BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup” is the featured element of the national “Tennis Night in America” promotion. Through “Tennis Night in America”, the USTA will continue its efforts to grow youth participation in the sport of tennis. “Tennis Night in America” is among the sports largest ever grass roots initiatives. The USTA has made this event a major component for its Youth Registration Night, where youth from all over the country can begin signing up for spring and summer league play beginning on Friday, February 26th through March 1st. To find a sign-up location please go to www.tennisnight.com.
Title partner BNP Paribas has returned for a second year, continuing their strong commitment to support the sport of tennis. BNP Paribas will be joined by Official Partners Caesars Atlantic City, Delta Air Lines, FIJI Water, Fila, FXDD, Jumeirah Essex House, Lexus, NASDAQ OMX, Optimum, Rums of Puerto Rico, Sportime Tennis Clubs, Steuben Glass, Tennis.com, Travelers Insurance, Ubisoft and Wilson.
The “BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup” is produced by StarGames and Madison Square Garden.
MSG Sports Properties, which includes world championship boxing, college basketball, tennis, track & field, and all other sports events, is part of Madison Square Garden, a fully-integrated sports, entertainment and media business. The company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Entertainment and MSG Media, which are strategically aligned to work together to drive its overall business, and built on a foundation of iconic venues and compelling content that MSG creates, produces, presents and/or distributes through its programming networks and other media assets. MSG Sports consists of the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Liberty (WNBA), and the Hartford Wolf Pack (American Hockey League). MSG Entertainment is a leader in managing and creating concerts and events at Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, the legendary Chicago Theatre, the Wang Theatre in Boston, and produces the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes. MSG Media is comprised of leading television networks MSG, MSG Plus, MSG HD and MSG Plus HD, as well as MSG Interactive, which oversees all company wireless and online initiatives, and Fuse and Fuse HD, the national television network dedicated exclusively to music. The company owns and operates the Madison Square Garden arena complex located in the heart of the New York metropolitan area. More information is available at www.msg.com.
StarGames, LLC (www.stargamesinc.com), which, in partnership with tennis great Ivan Lendl, promoted the Sampras/Federer match in March of 2008 at the Garden, is a full service sports marketing and production company based outside of Boston, MA. Now in its 16th year, StarGames produces programming for television, broadband and DVD home distribution, and, in association with Champagne Tennis Etcetera, procures sponsors for major sports and entertainment events. In addition, StarGames creates and produces live sporting/entertainment events, represents professional athletes and operates its own broadband channels through affiliations with YouTube and TVUNetworks.
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CONTACTS:
Dan Schoenberg, MSG (212) 465-6367 – daniel.schoenberg@thegarden.com
Larry Torres, MSG (212) 631-5178 – larry.torres@thegarden.com
Greg Sherry, SK Communications (973)267-5605 – gsherry@sherryllc.com
Pete Holtermann, HolterMedia (847) 380-4124 – holtermedia@gmail.com
Tom LaDue, USTA (914) 697-2352 – LaDue@usta.com
Jessica Smyser, StarGames (781) 224-9655 – jessica@stargamesinc.com
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