Lendl Tunes Up in Queens Prior to the BNP Paribas Showdown at MSG
On Saturday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Long Island Tennis Magazine was on hand as Ivan Lendl, the former world number one-ranked player and winner of eight Grand Slam tournament titles, held a practice session in advance of tonight’s BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden. The court surface to be used at MSG has been installed at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, where Lendl also met with members of the New York Junior Tennis League before taking to the court to prepare for his Monday night exhibition match with John McEnroe.
ESPN will televise the BNP Paribas Showdown live from Madison Square Garden on Monday, Feb. 28, with MSG Networks airing a replay on March 7 and 14. The one-day, tennis showcase will feature two of the greatest rivalries in all of tennis when Lendl will face McEnroe and Pete Sampras will take on Andre Agassi.
Starting at 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN3.com will stream live the classic rivalry between McEnroe and Lendl, and at 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 will televise the final match when rivals Sampras and Agassi square off. ESPN’s coverage will showcase leading on-air commentators during the event, including Chris Fowler and Patrick McEnroe, as well as former Agassi coaches Darren Cahill and Brad Gilbert. ESPN International will distribute the matches to 45 million homes in 130 countries and territories.
A replay of the BNP Paribas Showdown will be telecast on MSG Plus on Monday, March 7 and again on MSG Network on Monday, March 14. Both telecasts will feature McEnroe versus Lendl at 7:00 p.m. and Sampras versus Agassi at 8:00 p.m., with two-time Emmy Award winning broadcaster, Ted Robinson, along with Justin Gimelstob, calling the action.
For more information, visit www.tennisshowdown.com.
Credit photo to Kenneth B. Goldberg
