BNP Paribas Showdown | |
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Tournament information | |
Location | Manhattan, New York United States |
Venue | Madison Square Garden (2008–2017) |
Category | Exhibition |
Surface | Hard Indoor |
Draw | 4–8 players |
Website | Official website |
The BNP Paribas Showdown (formerly NetJets Showdown, Billie Jean King Cup) was an annual one-night exhibition tennis event operated by GF Sports and held at Madison Square Garden in New York City in February or March from 2008 through 2017.
The Showdown was part of World Tennis Day, an initiative to increase tennis participation around the world. The event served as the kick-off to the tennis season in North America, with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) running thousands of clinics across the country throughout the spring. The event's format changed from year-to-year, including male and female players (current and retired) playing singles and doubles.
Some of the greatest players of all-time participated in the BNP Paribas Showdown, including Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Pete Sampras, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Bob & Mike Bryan.
The final Showdown on March 6, 2017, included Venus Williams, Garbiñe Muguruza, Juan Martín del Potro, Kei Nishikori, Jack Sock, Nick Kyrgios, Andy Roddick, & Lleyton Hewitt in a team format. Team World defeated Team Americas 29–24.[1] Following the 2017 edition of the event, BNP Paribas withdrew its sponsorship and an alternate backer could not be found, so Tie Break Tens took its place at the Madison Square Garden.[2]