bnp paribas showdown continued from page 36 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. Del Potro, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, 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 42nd in the world and 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 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 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 in the world, was listed as the number one world junior in 2013, and has already recorded several top 10 wins, including a victory against world number three Stan Wawrinka at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament early in the year. He will play Sock, one of the top-ranked American players at world 22. 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 kidfriendly effort, including smaller racquets, lighter balls and modified scoring.
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New York Tennis Magazine • January/February 2017 • NYTennisMag.com