Game, Set, Rock! Tennis. Amplified. To Feature McEnroe, Courier, and Kournikova
For Immediate Release, December 2009The Family Circle Cup announces Game, Set, Rock! Tennis. Amplified., an evening of music and tennis entertainment featuring John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Anna Kournikova and a fourth player, to be announced, participating in singles and mixed doubles action, as a new ticketed session beginning at 7:00pm on Saturday, April 17, 2010. The Blue Dogs, Charleston’s favorite country, bluegrass, and roots-rock sons, will entertain the crowd throughout the event, and will conclude the evening with a special performance in Family Circle Stadium. This exhibition is designed as the keystone of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier Event’s week-long celebration of its 10th year in Charleston, and will supplement a strong player field highlighted by former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova and 18-year-old American standout Melanie Oudin. Marking the tournament’s 38th consecutive year, the Family Circle Cup is scheduled April 10-18, 2010 at the Family Circle Tennis Center in historic Charleston, South Carolina.
“We are planning this night of fun and excitement to celebrate a decade of tennis in Charleston,” said Eleanor Adams, Family Circle Cup Tournament Manager. “Our patrons have really enjoyed the mixed doubles exhibitions we’ve held in previous years, so we’re bringing some of the most exciting tennis celebrities to Daniel Island for this special evening session to be held during the finals weekend.”
Tickets for this special night of tennis will be available as a stand-alone ticketed session beginning at 10:00am on Friday, December 18th, 2009 via Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster Charge-by-Phone (800) 745-3000, local Publix outlets, and at the Family Circle Tennis Center ticket office weekdays from Monday through Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm. Box Level seating will be available for $35, Terrace Level for $25, and Grandstand for $15.
“InsideOut is proud to partner with the Family Circle Cup in making our first appearance alongside a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier Event,” said Jim Courier, former World No. 1 and Founding Partner of InsideOut Sports & Entertainment. . “I’m looking forward to being a part of this new addition to the tournament.”
“The Family Circle Cup is all about World Class tennis. We are going to give it our best to match that level of excitement because the fans on Daniel Island expect top notch action,” commented John McEnroe. “It is going to be a great Saturday night in Charleston.”
“I’ve always enjoyed competing at the Family Circle Cup, and I’m very excited to return to Charleston,” commented Anna Kournikova. “Tennis is always entertaining when John McEnroe and Jim Courier are on the court, so I look forward to playing a great match with these tennis legends.”
John McEnroe burst onto the international tennis scene prior to becoming a student at Stanford University. In 1977, McEnroe broke through from the qualifying rounds to reach the Wimbledon semifinals. He turned pro the following year after one year in college. McEnroe won 17 Grand Slam titles - 7 in singles (3 Wimbledon, 4 U.S. Open): 10 in doubles (5 Wimbledon, 4 U.S. Open, 1 French Open). He played on U.S. Davis Cup teams a record 13 years, helping to win the cup for his country five times (1978, ‘79, ‘81, ‘82, ‘92). McEnroe finished the year as No. 1 player in the world four different times (1981-84), becoming the youngest man ever to achieve the No. 1 ranking. In 1980, he played a match that many consider to be the best in the history of tennis - a five-set marathon loss to Borg in the Wimbledon final. The next year, McEnroe reversed that result, beating Borg at Wimbledon, and again at the U.S. Open. He notched 155 career titles: 77 in singles, 78 in doubles.
McEnroe has been very successful on the Outback Champions Series (OCS) since 2005. Today, in addition to competing on the OCS, the 50-year-old tennis legend works as a TV Commentator and owns an art gallery.
Jim Courier dominated the men’s professional tennis circuit in the early 1990s with a game he fashioned out of grit, determination and a punishing inside-out forehand. He was the first in his class of American champions - which includes Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi – to hold the No. 1 world ranking. In 2005, Courier was honored by being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
In 1989, he won his first ATP Tour title in singles (Basel) and doubles (Rome, with Pete Sampras) at age 19.
Courier captured his first Grand Slam in 1991 at the French Open, beating Andre Agassi in the first all-American final at Roland-Garros since 1954. He achieved the World No. 1 ranking in 1992 and was named ATP Tour player of the year. He reached the finals of all four Grand Slams winning twice at the French Open and twice at the Australian Open. Courier played on two winning U.S. Davis Cup teams (‘92 and ‘95), compiling an overall record of 17-10. In the 102-year history of the Davis Cup, no other American has ever taken his team into a fifth set of the deciding match and won; Courier did it twice. He notched 29 career titles - 23 in singles; 6 in doubles.
Courier has also been very successful on the Outback Champions Series (OCS) since 2005. Today, in addition to running and competing on the OCS, the 39-year-old tennis champion works as a TV Commentator and enjoys music and golf.
Anna Kournikova, born in Moscow, Russia, picked up her first tennis racquet at age five. By age eight, she began appearing in junior tournaments, and soon after was attracting attention from tennis scouts worldwide. Anna signed a management deal at age 10 and began training in the United States at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy. At age 14, Anna became the youngest player ever to win a Fed Cup match. She went on to win the prestigious Junior Orange Bowl, becoming the youngest player ever to win the 18s in that event. After her success in juniors, Anna turned pro in 1995, where she went on to electrify the tennis community, reaching career high rankings of #8 in singles and #1 in doubles.
In 1997, Anna became the second woman in the Open era, after Chris Evert, to reach the Wimbledon semifinals in her career debut. Anna broke into the world’s top 20 at No. 16, in 1998. At the 1998 Lipton Championships, she defeated four consecutive top 10 players in a four-day period. Kournikova also beat Steffi Graf on grass, a feat only two other players accomplished in the 1990s. By 2000, she had achieved a career high No. 8
ranking in singles and No. 1 in doubles. Kournikova has won two Grand Slam doubles titles (Australian Open 1999, 2002) and was a finalist in Mixed Doubles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. In 2000, Forbes magazine listed her in its “Power 100 Fame and Fortune” issue - one of only five females to be recognized that year. Today, the 28-year-old Miami resident continues to be a tennis icon, fashion model, and charity advocate.
Anna Kournikova notched a 5-4 record at the Family Circle Cup, reaching the finals opposite 1999 champion Martina Hingis, and has made two appearances on Daniel Island.
Commemorating ten years on Daniel Island, a milestone made possible by the Charleston area’s support of professional tennis, the Family Circle Cup is more than just a world class tennis tournament, it’s a nine-day celebration packed with off-court entertainment and excitement for fans of all ages.
Family Circle Cup ticket packages are on-sale now, and individual ticket sales will begin on January 15th, 2010. Fans are urged to visit familycirclecup.com for continuous updates on ticket information and player commitments as the tournament approaches.
The Family Circle Cup is scheduled April 10-18, 2010 at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston, SC. The Family Circle Tennis Center is a public facility owned by the City of Charleston and operated by Meredith Corporation that also hosts a variety of additional events including concerts, festivals, tennis tournaments and other activities throughout the year. With over 21 million readers, Family Circle is one of the most widely read monthly magazines in America and is one of 14 leading subscription magazines owned by Meredith Corporation. The Tennis Center features a 10,200 seat stadium, Grand Lawn, 17 tennis courts lighted for night play, Pro Shop, and a full service event management staff capable of handling all aspects of an event including ticketing, operations, sales, marketing, public relations, and food & beverage. For tickets or more info, call (843) 856-7900 or visit familycirclecup.com.
