Season-ending championships they are not, but the early-season exhibitions at Madison Square Garden have offered fans a glimpse of pro tennis in Manhattan for the last three years—and will for many more to come, says promoter Jerry Solomon.
“There are a lot of reasons to keep looking beyond this year, and even next year, as we try to position this as the kickoff to tennis in the United States,” said Solomon, president and CEO of StarGames, a sports marketing, management and entertainment company. The primary reasons: Time and talent. StarGames has, for the third straight year, scheduled a lucrative event, the Billie Jean King Cup, near a time when the sport’s biggest names arrive in the U.S. for the Indian Wells tournament. It’s optimal timing for both players and fans, the majority of whom haven’t watched any tennis since the Australian Open. “The Billie Jean King Cup got pretty much immediate acceptance because of her credibility,” said Solomon.
It has been also accepted because of the caliber of its contestants. In 2008, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras’s four-leg exhibition tour culminated at the “World’s Most Famous Arena.” In 2009, the Williams sisters, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic played their own exhibition. This year’s edition is another ladies’ night, with Venus Williams, Kim Clijsters, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ana Ivanovic playing a mini-tourney as part of the USTA’s Tennis Night in America. (Serena Williams was scheduled to compete, but pulled out with a leg injury.) “We have been, since day one when we brought Pete and Roger to the Garden, trying to create this event that’s a celebration of tennis across the United States,” said Solomon, who sees these first three installments as just the beginning. “We have a long-term agreement with Madison Square, BNP Paribas and other sponsors.” (He later clarified that the agreement with the Garden is “long enough for us to make three- and five-year plans.”)
Down the road, Solomon hopes to promote an event with the four reigning Grand Slam champions of both the men’s and women’s tours. “Our goal is to try to bring them both in, over two days—have the semifinals of both the men’s and the women’s on the first day, and the finals on the second.” In the meantime, Northeasterners itching to see men’s action this spring can head to Atlantic City, where Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, Andy Roddick and others will play in April in a StarGames-sponsored exhibition
The format of Monday’s exhibition in New York City will deviate slightly from last year’s Showdown, which lasted until after midnight. In the 2010 edition, no-ad scoring, used only in the one-set semifinals last time, will also be used in the best-of-three set final. Organizers—as well as ESPN2, who is broadcasting the final—are hoping this change, along with an earlier (7:00 p.m.) start time, will keep the fans in their seats until the end. MSG Plus, a regional network, will broadcast the semifinals, which pit Ivanovic vs. Clijsters and Kuznetsova vs. Williams. (All three matches can be seen online at ESPN360.com.)
What hasn’t changed is that each participant will earn a towering sum of money. The losing semifinalists will take home $250,000 each, the runner-up $300,000, and the winner $400,000. But the players won’t be the only ones to benefit from the proceedings. “The overlay of Tennis Night in America has continued to grow,” said Solomon. “I think it’s important that this all be seen in that light. The main beneficiary this year will be the Women’s Sports Foundation, but we are doing a lot with the USTA, the Arthur Ashe Foundation and the National Junior Tennis League. We’re involving as many of the local tennis organizations as we possibly can.”
Another organization involved with Tennis Night in America is the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which will announce this year’s inductees at the Garden. Based on the stars who’ve played there the last three years—and those who could show up in the future—the night may also serve as a preview of Hall of Fame classes to come.
Ed McGrogan is an assistant editor for TENNIS.com.