李娜將參與「世界網球日」香港表演賽 - 亞網 Tennis

1913年成立的ITF明年將屆滿100周年，
日前ITF宣布發起「世界網球日」(World Tennis Day)活動，
在2013年3月4日當天，將至少有十國以表演賽等方式響應。

亞洲國家目前有香港與印度參與，
而香港今(21)日宣布規劃，將在亞洲國際博覽館(AisaWorld-Arena)舉行表演賽，
名稱與在紐約麥迪遜花園廣場舉行的表演賽同為BNP Paribas Showdown。
現役選手由李娜出戰Wozniacki，另外還有退役球員Lendl與McEnroe的對決。


Hong Kong joins World Tennis Day

The ITF has announced that Hong Kong will stage an event to celebrate World
Tennis Day on March 4 next year.

The BNP Paribas Showdown, which will feature an exhibition match between Li
Na and Caroline Wozniacki, joins its namesake at New York’s Madison Square
Garden as one of the highlights of a new initiative to promote tennis around
the world.

The event at the AsiaWorld-Arena will also see two legends of the men’s game
renewing their rivalry when eight-time Grand Slam champion Ivan Lendl takes
on seven-time major winner John McEnroe.

“For me it is always exciting to play in Asia,” said Li. “I hope to have
the crowd support in this match. It will be a great night for tennis, and
hopefully it gets more people playing the game.”

Her opponent was equally enthusiastic about spreading the message about her
sport: “It’s great to have the chance to play in Hong Kong again,” said
Wozniacki. “It’s also exciting to be part of the first World Tennis Day. I
hope it’s successful in getting more kids playing around the world.”
One of the ideas behind World Tennis Day is to promote Tennis10s, which
tailors the game to younger players with smaller racquets, lighter balls and
modified scoring.

“World Tennis Day and the BNP Paribas Showdown will bring more attention to
Tennis Play and Stay and Tennis10s, two programmes with proven success in
growing participation,” said ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti.

“World Tennis Day will give the ITF and our member nations an opportunity to
showcase their efforts to grow tennis, while fans can also enjoy some of the
game’s brightest stars playing in events like the BNP Paribas Showdown.”
The BNP Paribas Showdown will be produced by StarGames, in conjunction with
the Hong Kong Tennis Association. It marks the first time the AsiaWorld-Arena
has played host to such an international tennis event.

“Once more, BNP Paribas is proud to bring the best of tennis to Asia by
supporting this outstanding sporting event, as it does with the same
acclaimed tennis event in New York. We are excited to share our passion and
enthusiasm for tennis with the fans in Hong Kong” said Paul Yang, Chief
Executive Officer for BNP Paribas Hong Kong.

“The BNP Paribas Showdown gives the bank a perfect opportunity to accelerate
the growing awareness of our brand in Asia and it reaffirms our commitment
and loyalty to this region and to this sport.”
The matches will take place the same night as an event with the same name is
held at Madison Square Garden in New York City as part of the first annual
World Tennis Day. Serena Williams will play Victoria Azarenka in the first
match in New York, followed by Rafael Nadal against Juan Martin del Potro.

“With five successful years of the BNP Paribas Showdown in New York, the
time is right to expand this to a global event with the World Tennis Day
platform,” said Jerry Solomon, executive producer and president of StarGames.
“The popularity of tennis in Asia made it natural for us to pursue an event
in this region. Hong Kong is proving to be a fantastic partner, and BNP
Paribas, as the world’s biggest sponsor of tennis, is the perfect title
sponsor.

“I am excited to see this group of four players who will put on a great
show. Lendl, McEnroe and Wozniacki have each played for us at the BNP Paribas
Showdown in New York in front of crowds of over 17,000 at Madison Square
Garden and we now welcome Li Na to the group for the first time. The
AsiaWorld-Arena will be the place to be on March 4.”

Tickets for the event will go on sale on Monday, November 26, at 10am (2am
GMT) at HK Ticketing Outlets which are located at AsiaWorld-Expo, all Tom Lee
Stores, HKCEC, HKAPA and Fringe Club. Tickets may also be purchased online at
www.hkticketing.com or by calling the HK Ticketing Ticket Purchase Hotline on
31 288 288 from 10am-8pm.

--