ESPN3 and ESPN2 will combine to present live the BNP Paribas Showdown 2014 from Madison Square Garden in New York on Monday, March 3, with two star-studded matches:
· A cross-generational, all-U.S.A. battle of brothers in doubles at 7 p.m. on ESPN3 as
ESPN commentators John and Patrick McEnroe square off in a pro set against the Bryan Twins - Bob and Mike - of California, who have teamed for 15 Major titles;
· A 2013 Wimbledon finals rematch at 9 p.m. on
ESPN2 and WatchESPN between Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, who became the first British subject to win the event in London in 77 years, since Fred Perry in 1936. The duo has won six of the last 11 majors.
Chris Fowler will call the matches, working with Brad Gilbert for the doubles, and on the singles with Patrick McEnroe - fresh off the court - with Gilbert courtside. The Djokovic-Murray match will also be available on broadband in the U.S. in Spanish on
ESPN Deportes +.
Djokovic, currently ranked No. 2 in the world, has won six Major titles in his career. Murray, No. 7, has captured two and triumphed over Djokovic in the finals of each - last summer's Wimbledon and the 2012 US Open. Nevertheless, the Serbian leads their head-to-head series 11-8. In addition, he has won 28 of his last 29 matches (including the final 24 of 2013). Among active players, they are third (Djokovic - 41), and fifth (Murray - 28) for career titles.
The Bryan brothers have won all four Majors among their 15 Grand Slam titles, nine different Masters 1000 championships, the World Tour Finals, Olympic Gold, and the Davis Cup. The own a record 93 titles together and have finished as the year-end No. 1 team nine times. John McEnroe, one of the great doubles players in the history of the sport, has nine Major men's doubles titles on his resume, plus a Mixed Doubles victory at the 1977 French Open. He has teamed with his brother Patrick to win a three doubles championships - in 1984 in Richmond, Va., the Paris Indoor event in November 1992 and the 2012 French Open Over 45 Legends Invitational. Patrick also won the 1984 French Junior Doubles crown and 16 pro doubles titles, including the French Open in 1989 with Jim Grabb.
The BNP Paribas Showdown from MSG will air live internationally on ESPN's networks in 48 countries throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada, UK, Middle East,
Africa and the Pacific Rim. In addition, ESPN's broadband players in Latin
America & the Caribbean (ESPN Play) and Australia & New Zealand (ESPN3) will also stream live simulcast coverage of this event.
BNP Paribas Showdown
Tickets remain available for the BNP Paribas Showdown and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. New York City joins London and Hong Kong in hosting a Showdown event on the second annual World Tennis Day. While each Showdown includes current or former professionals who have either been ranked No. 1 or reached a Grand Slam - if not both -other events such as clinics and open houses will be held all over the globe in an effort to encourage people to try tennis and grow the sport. In 2013, those events were held in 58 nations. To find a participating location in the U.S., visit www.youthtennis.com. More information on the global events, including the BNP Paribas Showdown, can be found at www.WorldTennisDay.com.
Upcoming Tennis from ESPN
In addition to the BNP Paribas Showdown from New York on March 3, in the next month #ESPNTennis will present:
BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif.
Multi-court offering daily on ESPN3, March 6-16
12 hours on
ESPN TV networks and WatchESPN March 14-16
Sony Open Tennis in Miami
Multi-court offering daily on ESPN3, March 19-30
22 hours on
ESPN TV networks March 26-30
WTA Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C.
Daily coverage March 31 - April 6 on ESPN3, including the quarterfinals and semifinal not aired on ESPN2
Seven hours on
ESPN2 and WatchESPN April 3-6
ESPN - All Four Slams, All In One Place
Tennis has been part of
ESPN since its first week on the air and provided many memorable moments, but it has never been as important as today, with the US Open joining the lineup in 2009, giving
ESPN all four Grand Slam events, something no other U.S. network has ever done, let alone in one year.
ESPN has presented the Australian Open since 1984, the French Open since 2002 (plus 1986 - 1993), and Wimbledon since 2003, with exclusivity for live television with all other rights extended in a 12-year agreement starting in 2012. Exclusivity for the US Open in an 11-year agreement begins in 2015.
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