BNP Paribas Showdown Set for MSG Tomorrow Night

Tennis legends Monica Seles and Gabriela Sabatini will face each other in a 25th anniversary rematch of their famed 1990 five-set WTA Championship final in the 2015 BNP Paribas Showdown, set for March 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Seles leads the career head-to-head 11-3 over Sabatini. In addition to the Seles-Sabatini match, Roger Federer will face Grigor Dimitrov and headline the annual tennis showcase.

The two legendary women’s players were paired against each other in the finals of the season-ending Virginia Slims Championships at Madison Square Garden. After nearly four hours of tennis, the second-seeded Seles, a then 16-year-old from Yugoslavia, outlasted the third-seeded Sabatini 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, in front of 17,290 fans. Seles became the youngest player to ever win the tournament and it was the first time two women played a five-set professional match since the 1901 U.S. Nationals in Philadelphia.

"It will be great to be back on the court at Madison Square Garden, where I have so many fun memories from playing the WTA Championships,” said Seles. “The Showdown on World Tennis Day has become another event at The Garden that all of the players want to play so I look forward to an exciting night of tennis with Gaby, Roger and Grigor. It should be a great event."

Seles is a former world number one-ranked player and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009. She won nine Grand Slam singles titles, eight before the age of 20, and became the youngest-ever French Open champion at the age of 16. She was the year-end world number one in 1991 and 1992, and played her last professional match at the 2003 French Open.

“New York has a very special place in my heart and to be back at Madison Square Garden will be such a special moment," said Sabatini. "I am very excited that I will see and play Monica again. Throughout my career, I loved every time I traveled to New York. I am excited and I will look forward to being part of the World Tennis Day on March 10.”

Sabatini was one of the leading players on the women's circuit in the late-1980s and early-1990s. The Argentine won the women's singles title at the U.S. Open in 1990, the women's doubles title at Wimbledon in 1988, two WTA Year-End Championships in 1988 and 1994, and a silver medal at the 1988 Olympic Games.

Headlining the night, Roger Federer will return to MSG to face Grigor Dimitrov. Federer, currently ranked second in the world, will make his third appearance in the BNP Paribas Showdown. Federer holds several men's world records, including holding the world number one ranking for an unprecedented 302 weeks, including 237-consecutive weeks from 2004-2008, and winning 17 Grand Slams.

The young rising star Dimitrov is often compared to Federer, and is currently ranked 11th on the ATP Men's Singles Rankings, and he will be making his MSG debut. He recently cracked the top 10 when he climbed to number eight after reaching the Wimbledon semifinals in 2014. Dimitrov is the only Bulgarian tennis player to ever be ranked in the top 10. He’s also the first Bulgarian to win an ATP singles title (Stockholm in 2013) and reach a final in doubles (in 2011), as well as the only one to reach the third round or better at a Grand Slam tournament.

“It’s huge and I’m unbelievably excited. I did have the honor twice already to do it, once against Pete Sampras and once against Andy Roddick and both nights were very special,” said Federer. “I’ve played in many arenas and many cool places around the world but, there is nothing like MSG. That is why when I heard there is another opportunity for me to come back and people wanted to see me, it got me going and I can’t wait for March 10.”

The two top players faced each other once before in Basel, Switzerland with Federer beating Dimitrov 6-3, 7-6 (2) in a quarterfinal match.

“Growing up, Roger was one of my heroes," said Dimitrov. "To play him on such a stage is definitely an honor for me. I am really happy and excited to be part of the event since it is one of the biggest sporting venues. This will absolutely be different. I’m getting goose bumps thinking about it. I’m just going to really enjoy it and embrace the moment.”

2015 BNP Paribas Showdown: Tale of the Tape
 

Roger Federer	vs.	Grigor Dimitrov
Swiss	Nationality	Bulgarian
August 8, 1981	Birth Date	May 16, 1991
Basel, Switzerland	Birthplace	Haskova, Bulgaria
Bottmingen, Switzerland	Residence	Monte Carlo, Monaco
1998	Turned Pro	2008
Right-handed (one-handed backhand)	Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
2	2014 Ranking	11
996-227	Career Singles Record	136-94
17	Grand Slam Titles	0

Monica Seles	vs.	Gabriela Sabatini
Hungarian/Yugoslavian	Nationality	Argentinean
December 2, 1973	Birth Date	May 16th, 1970
Novi Sad, Serbia	Birthplace	Buenos Aires, Argentina
Sarasota, Florida	Residence	Buenos Aires & Boca Raton, Florida
1989	Turned Pro	1985
Left-handed (two-handed both sides)	Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
595-122	Career Singles Record	632-189
9	Grand Slam Titles	1