BNP Paribas Showdown to Feature Sampras, Agassi, Mac, Lendl

June 29, 2010 · No Comments

Two of the greatest rivalries in tennis will resume at Madison Square Garden when tennis legends Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl take to the meet in the 2011 BNP Paribas Showdown scheduled for Monday, Feb. 28, 2011.

Renewing classic rivalries of the 1980s and '90s, John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl will compete in a one-set pro match (first player to win eight games) followed by a best-of-three-set match between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. The four all-time greats have won a combined 37 Grand Slam Singles titles and 295 ATP Tour events.

The BNP Paribas Showdown is produced by StarGames and MSG Sports. Tickets will officially go on sale Sept. 27 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office and all Ticketmaster outlets.

For more information and an opportunity to sign up for pre-sale alerts prior to tickets going on sale, visit www.tennisshowdown.com .

“When Roger Federer and I played at The Garden a few years ago, it was an electric night,” said Sampras. “I expect that it will be that way again when Andre and I play. It should be a lot of fun.”

“To have the opportunity to play Pete at Madison Square Garden is thrilling,” said Agassi. “Playing in front of the New York fans has always been exciting and I’m sure Pete and I will give them something to cheer about.”

Ivan Lendl added: “I am really looking forward to playing in The Garden again. I have so many great memories from matches with John there. It should be a great night for tennis.”

“I have been going to Madison Square Garden since I was 8, and I have played some of my best tennis there,” added McEnroe. “I am very happy to have the chance to play Ivan Lendl again in The World’s Most Famous Arena.”

For VIP packages, call 1-888-753-8747.

The BNP Paribas Showdown, in partnership with the U.S. Tennis Association, will continue their efforts to grow youth participation in the sport of tennis through “Tennis Night in America”, a national program which is among the largest ever grass roots initiative the sport has ever seen.