Tonite America, Tomorrow the World?

!Picby Pete Bodo

Back in 2007, tennis promoter Jerry Solomon approached Roger Federer to inquire if the then-world No. 1 had any interest in playing an exhibition in New York's Madison Square Garden. When Roger replied some days later, his answer was clear and simple. "I'd love to do it in 2008," Solomon remembers Federer saying. "And this is the one day I can do it."

That day, it turned out, was the Monday before the start of the Indian Wells tournament, and thus was born the "Tennis Night in America" tradition. The crown jewel of tonight's festivities (1400 tennis clubs and facilities around the nation will host "viewing parties" and other tennis-related activities) is the BNP Paribas Showdown**, featuring Federer, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, and Caroline Wozniacki.

Federer played Pete Sampras on that first Tennis Night in America (the match was billed as the NetJets Showdown**) and tonight he returns to the Garden again to play another tall American with a massive serve, Roddick. Federer leads their head-to-head 21-2, which ought to be embarrassing were it not for the fact that this is Federer we're talking about.

When I asked Andy to comment on the way Federer has been playing lately at a press conference earlier today, he replied: "He's been playing great. He played well in Australia and seemingly even better in Rotterdam and Dubai. It's amazing to see his level. A lot of the guys we started with have been done for five or six years now. It's been fun to play during the same time. . . " Roddick paused and half-smiled. "Well, at times it's been. .  . But it's not surprising to see Roger winning tennis tournaments."

We're unlikely to see an all-out war this evening; this is, after all, an exhibition (the undercard is the Sharapova vs. Wozniacki match). And while Federer has been playing sublime to ridiculous tennis, Roddick has been struggling. He's fallen to No. 31 and is 4-4 on the year—two of those wins recorded just last week. Both men know that this one isn't going on any resume, so they'll just try to put on a good show and enjoy the atmosphere in the most storied indoor arena in the world.

At the very least, the match ought to be an excellent demonstration. As Roddick said, "When you start trying to tinker with match length and this that and the other thing, the quality of tennis gets a little compromised. We'll just go out, try to play well and have fun, and see where it goes."

For his part, Federer said, "Coming back [to New York] at a time when tennis is not dominating headlines is really nice, a bit more laid back for us because it's an exo. On a personal note you look back [one day] and say it was an amazing feeling to be playing in MSG. You think about Ivan, Mac, all the legends playing there in the past. And who knows, maybe in the future bringing back a big tournament to New York?"

That may sound like wishful thinking, but after casting around for a few years hoping to find an identity, Tennis Night in America seems to have gained some traction. By around noon today, the Garden had sold some 16,000 tickets. ESPN will televise the event in 110 countries. The partners in this enterprise (Solomon's promotional company,** StarGames; Madison Square Garden; the USTA; BNP Paribas; and other marketing allies) have really pulled together to make this thing happen in a great example of creative co-operation, and it's begining to pay dividends—so much so that, according to Solomon, other nations are interested in creating a similar day of tennis celebration.

Just a week ago, Solomon staged a similar, successful exo in Montreal (the talent was Michael Chang, Pat Cash, Ivan Lendl, and Andre Agassi). He dreams about having a World Tennis Day, during which Tennis Night in America-type events would go on for an entire day, through all time zones, around the world.

"Tennis goes dormant in the U.S. after the U.S. Open," Solomon said of the original decision to create Tennis Night in America. "We were looking to jump start the traditional spring tennis season with this, with help from grass roots organizations (like the USTA) and even industry elements. We'd like this to be the official start of what you might call the tennis season in the U.S."

What with two big combined tennis events coming up, the NFL season over, Major League Baseball just getting strated, and the NHL and NBA not yet in the playoff phase, it's an opportune time to angle for a little attention for tennis. The promising growth of this event, now in its fourth year, has some partners wistfully echoing Federer's speculation that high-level tennis may yet return to the Garden, which has a rich tennis history that includes hosting the year-end championships for both men and women.

Tennis Night in America has already provided a winter toehold for the promoters' hopes to turn the event into a kind of festival for the entire tennis industry. It could happen, even though this is just a one-night exhibition. Scott O'Neil, president of MSG Sports, said: "Think of this event as something like the NHL or NBA All-Star Game. You can build a lot of great things around a single event like that."

And Joel Fisher, a Garden executive vice-president, thinks Tennis Night in America might even help bring ATP and/or WTA tennis back to the Garden—someday. "When it was here, tennis was on the back pages of the newspapers every day. That was great for the game. We're interested in that happening again and continue to speak to both those organizations about that."

The obvious problem, from the most practical and realistic point-of-view, is that with no day-in, day-out American stars—now that Roddick is fighting for his competitive life, and who knows what the future holds in store for Venus and Serena Williams—tennis becomes a harder sell to the domestic audience. But the USA might be ready to embrace tennis titans who aren't necessarily domestic products, as we're apt to see tonight.