On Monday, October 12, 2015, tennis stars Andre Agassi, Stefanie Graf, Martina Navratilova, and Andy Roddick will headline Mylan World TeamTennis (WTT) Smash Hits at Caesars Palace, a charity night of tennis co-hosted by longtime friends Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King.
“It is always such a great pleasure to co-host this wonderful event with my dear friend Billie Jean King,” said Sir Elton John. “I’m so pleased that we will be teaming up with Aid for AIDS of Nevada to raise awareness about the continuing challenges of the HIV/AIDS epidemic both locally and nationally and to raise urgently needed dollars for community-based HIV prevention, education, treatment, and care services. I urge all tennis fans and concerned citizens in the Las Vegas area to support this event and bring their families for a wonderful evening of tennis for a great cause.”
“It is great to have Mylan WTT Smash Hits back in the U.S. and even better that we are making our first trip to Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world,” said Billie Jean King. “Smash Hits is one of my favorite and most meaningful events of the year and we are looking forward to a successful and entertaining night this October at Caesars Palace.”
Tennis action is set for 7 p.m. PT. The pre-match VIP Reception and Auction will kick off at 5:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. PT on July 23rd. For information on tickets – including group sales and VIP ticket packages – click here or call (212) 586-3444 x111.
Captained by King and John, the players will form two teams and play a Mylan WTT match featuring singles and doubles action. The music legend is expected to participate in a celebrity doubles match to open the event. Additional participants will be announced in the upcoming weeks. The overall series is tied 11-11 between Team Elton and Team Billie Jean. Team Billie Jean won the 2014 event in London with a 22-16 victory.
This will be the 13th Smash Hits appearance for Agassi. The 8-time Grand Slam singles champion and former world No. 1 is well-known for his philanthropy, which includes starting the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy in Las Vegas. Agassi was inducted into The International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2011.
This is the third Smash Hits appearance for Graf, a fellow Hall of Famer. Graf has long been considered one of the greatest players in tennis history, winning 107 singles titles, 22 Grand Slam singles championships, and an Olympic gold medal before retiring in 1999. Graf and her husband Andre Agassi have two children, daughter Jaz and son Jaden. Graf is very active with her charity Children for Tomorrow, a non-profit foundation with the aim of supporting children and families who have become victims of war, persecution and organized violence.
Navratilova, a 59-time Grand Slam champion in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, was one of the participants in the first Smash Hits event in 1993 and will be making her 11th appearance. During her storied career, the Hall of Famer won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 31 Grand Slam women’s doubles and 10 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. Navratilova holds 167 singles titles, more than any other player, male or female and 177 doubles titles.
Roddick returns to Smash Hits for an 11th time. The popular American standout won 30 singles titles on the ATP World Tour, including the 2003 US Open, and was ranked in the top 10 for nine consecutive years. Along with Venus Williams, Roddick is part of the WTT Ownership Group. He also founded the Andy Roddick Foundation which works to expand opportunities for young people to learn, thrive and succeed.
