USTA FOUNDATION TO SERVE AS THE OFFICIAL CHARITY OF THE
2017 BNP PARIBAS SHOWDOWN 10th ANNIVERSARY
AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
Foundation Will Also Host World Tennis Day Reception Benefitting
Tennis and Education Programs
Exclusive Packages Currently Available, Including an Opportunity to Meet
Venus Williams, Juan Martin del Potro and Other
BNP Paribas Showdown Players
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Dec. 15, 2016 – The USTA Foundation, the national charitable organization of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), today announced that it has been selected as the official charity of the 2017 BNP Paribas Showdown. This marks the fourth consecutive year the USTA Foundation will serve as the event’s official charity.
The Showdown will take place March 6, 2017, at Madison Square Garden in celebration of the fifth annual World Tennis Day. To help kick off the day, the USTA Foundation will host a fundraising reception that evening with the BNP Paribas Showdown players, including seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams and former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro.
The BNP Paribas Showdown, celebrating its 10th anniversary, will also feature 2016 French Open women’s champion Garbiñe Muguruza, 2014 US Open finalist Kei Nishikori, world No. 13 Nick Kyrgios and rising American star Jack Sock. All six players, including Williams and del Potro, will participate in the events first-ever legends match to be announced soon.
The USTA Foundation World Tennis Day Reception will raise funds to support the organization’s funding of scholarships and programming grants to under-resourced youth and the tennis and education programs they attend throughout the country. The majority of these programs are associated with the National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network.
Supporters can purchase a variety of packages that include a meet-and-greet with the players, player clinics, courtside tickets to attend the 2017 BNP Paribas Showdown and an exclusive opportunity to watch the players practice just before the event.
All packages as well as sponsorship opportunities are available at www.ustafoundation.com/worldtennisday.
“The USTA Foundation is once again proud and honored to be a part of this celebratory event on its extraordinary 10th milestone,” said Dan Faber, Executive Director of the USTA Foundation. “GF Sports and MSG are outstanding partners as well as supporters, allowing us to use one of the grandest stages in sport to carry out our mission. World Tennis Day continues to make a positive impact on kids and families, and we make every effort to do the same. We are excited to collaborate in the spirit of changing lives and creating brighter futures through tennis.”
“We are proud supporters of the USTA Foundation and glad to share this special event with them as we celebrate a decade of spreading the message of the positive outcomes tennis can have on young people throughout the country and the world,” said Jerry Solomon, Executive Producer of the BNP Paribas Showdown and creator of World Tennis Day. “It is our mission to collaborate on a high level so that fans of this great sport have the opportunity to also show their support and witness great competition amongst tennis’ most exciting players.”
The USTA Foundation supports programs nationwide that leverage tennis, education and life skills to prepare under-resourced youth for college and beyond. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $22 million, benefitting thousands of children and adults through tennis, education and health programs and college scholarships.
Tickets for the BNP Paribas Showdown are available at the Madison Square Garden Box Office or through any Ticketmaster outlet.