Agassi, Martina, McEnroe and Williams sisters headed to Philly!
Freedoms Complete Roster
The Philadelphia Freedoms finalized their 2009 home schedule with two more tennis icons joining an impressive list of stars heading to King of Prussia, Pa. It was announced that Grand Slam champions Andre Agassi and Martina Navratilova will be making appearances in the Delaware Valley this July.
Agassi is former World No. 1 professional American tennis player who won eight Grand Slam singles tournaments and an Olympic gold medal in singles. He is one of only five male players to have won all four Grand Slam singles titles and the only male player to have won a career Golden Slam. In addition to his Grand Slam and Olympic singles titles, he won the Tennis Masters Cup and was part of a winning Davis Cup team. He won 17 ATP Masters Series tournaments, more than any other player. TENNIS Magazine named him the 12th greatest player, male or female, for the period 1965 through 2005.
Navratilova holds 167 singles titles, more than any man/woman player and won at least one tour event a year for 21 consecutive years. She holds 177 doubles titles, including seven won in 2003 and one won in 2004; has won singles and doubles titles at same event 84 times to lead all players. She was ranked No. 1 for a total of 331 weeks on nine different occasions; 156 consecutively from June 14, 1982-June 9, 1985, second only to Graf's 1987-90 record 186 weeks.
Earlier in the month the Freedoms protected the rights to 2009 Australian Open doubles champion Venus Williams in the Advanta World TeamTennis Pro League Marquee Player Draft. Currently ranked No. 6 in the world, Venus has won seven Grand Slam singles titles in her career including last year's Wimbledon crown. In addition to her combined 11 Grand Slam doubles and mixed doubles titles, Venus represented the U.S. in the past three summer Olympics and captured two gold medals. This is Venus' fifth year playing for the Freedoms team.
The Freedoms also selected visits from Serena Williams, John McEnroe and Anna Kournikova. Recently, Serena Williams regained her No. 1 ranking by winning the 2009 Australian Open singles and doubles titles. Those bring her Grand Slam win count to 10 singles and 8 doubles. She holds at least one singles title from each Grand Slam event, and has won two Olympic gold medals with her sister Venus. Serena will be making her first WTT appearance against the Freedoms when she plays this July for the Washington Kastles.
Besides being remembered for his audience-capturing antics, John McEnroe (New York Sportimes) is also known as one of the greatest players in tennis history. McEnroe captured 155 singles and doubles titles during his career - 77 singles and 78 doubles – an Open Era record. His 17 Grand Slam crowns include seven singles, nine doubles and one mixed doubles title. He was ranked No. 1 in singles for 170 weeks, fifth best in history, and No. 1 doubles at 270 weeks, an all time record. McEnroe will be making his third consecutive appearance in the market.
Anna Kournikova, who was protected by the St. Louis Aces, will be making her first visit to play the Freedoms since 2003. Kournikova has 16 career doubles titles including two Grand Slam titles. She was ranked as high as No. 8 in singles. Kournikova was a member of the Russian Olympic team in 1996 and in 1997 became the second woman in the Open era to reach the semifinals of Wimbledon in her debut appearance.
"We are hopeful to add three more marquee players in the coming weeks," said Barbara Perry, Freedoms' General Manager. "It will be a great experience with the biggest names in tennis in a great outdoor setting."
2009 Schedule
Mon. 6 St. Louis (Kournikova)
Wed. 8 Sacramento (V. Williams)
Fri. 10 Boston (Agassi)
Mon. 13 Washington (S. Williams)
Tue. 14 NY Sportimes (McEnroe)
Mon. 20 Boston (Navratilova)
Wed. 22 St. Louis (Clijsters)
Presenting Sponsor
Headquartered in Spring House, Pa, Advanta is one of the nation's largest credit card issuers in the small business market. Advanta's exclusive focus on this market, as well as its size, experience and commitment to developing meaningful product offerings and a high level of service tailored to the needs of small businesses differentiates the company from other issuers. Founded in 1951, Advanta has long been an innovator in developing and introducing many of the marketing techniques that are common in the financial services industry today. Learn more about Advanta at www.advanta.com.
Advanta is a long-time supporter of the tennis community and youth fitness activities. In addition to being the official business credit card of Advanta World TeamTennis and the title sponsor of the WTT Pro League and the Philadelphia Freedoms, Advanta continues to be involved in numerous tennis charities including Advanta WTT Smash Hits, Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education, and Philadelphia Wheelchair Tennis programs.
About Advanta WTT Pro League
The 34th season of the Advanta WTT Pro League runs July 2-26, concluding with the Advanta WTT Championship Weekend where teams battle for the coveted King Trophy.
WTT is well known for introducing innovative elements to tennis including instant replay, co-ed format, multi-colored courts, cumulative and no-ad scoring, on-court coaching, Supertiebreakers and player names on back of their shirts. Team matches consist of five events, with one set each of men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. The first team to reach five games wins each set. A nine-point tiebreaker is played if a set reaches four-all. One point is awarded for each game won. If necessary, Overtime and a Supertiebreaker are played to determine the winner of the match. Advanta is the title sponsor of the Advanta WTT Pro League and the official business credit card of World TeamTennis. Official Advanta WTT Pro League sponsors for the 2009 season include FirmGreen Energy, GEICO and Wilson Racquet Sports. For more information on the Advanta WTT Pro League, visit www.WTT.com.