Murray to Face Roddick on White Court in Miami Exhibition
U.S. Open champion and 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Andy Murray will face the recently-retired American Andy Roddick on a white court at the 2012 Miami Cup. The event is the first of its kind to launch in the U.S. and will feature six of the top-ranked ATP professionals, including Murray, Roddick, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Nicolás Almagro, Alejandro Falla and top-ranked American, John Isner. All matches played throughout the three-day tournament will take place on the stadium court at Crandon Park and will be broadcast live by ESPN3.
The stadium court at Crandon Park Tennis Center in Key Biscayne, Fla., home to the annual “Fifth Grand Slam,” will see a unique transformation from the traditional purple and green colors—a complete makeover that will be created especially for the Miami Tennis Cup. Spectators will witness world-ranked players slugging it out on the first-ever white stadium court, complete with red lines, painted within a blue area that will surround the court. The first red, white and blue stadium court will be developed purposely for the three-day tournament, to commemorate the emblematic colors of the American flag.
“We are pleased to announce the first annual Miami Tennis Cup, a premium and world-class competition featuring today’s most exciting top-ranked professionals,” said Julian Wortelboer, president and CEO of Group NOS. “We are honored to have not only some of the most iconic tennis professionals participating, but some of the most legendary individuals from the world of sport – including an Olympic Gold medal winner, a U.S. Open champion and a French Open champion. With our introduction of the first ever stadium court in white, our signature colors will make the spectator experience unlike any other and establish Miami Tennis Cup as a must-see event each year on the world tennis calendar.”
The tournament will see all six players competing in a double-elimination tournament format within two round-robin groups. Each match will be the best of three sets. The number one seed (Andy Murray) and number two seed (Andy Roddick) will receive an automatic bye in to the semifinal. The remaining four players will be drawn against each other for a place in the semi-final, with the initial matches starting on stadium court at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 30. The first semifinal match will commence on stadium court at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1. The emerging winner from Sunday’s final will take the coveted title as the first ever champion of the Miami Tennis Cup, for which a cash prize and trophy will be presented on stadium court by a surprise celebrity legend from the tennis world.
