13 September 2011
Milos Raonic to take on Pete Sampras in Exhibition match in Canada
Hero and prodigy face off when 14-time Grand Slam Champion and Hall of Famer Pete Sampras takes on Thornhill's own Milos Raonic in The Face-Off presented by SAP at the Air Canada Centre, Thursday, November 17, 2011 at 7 p.m. Showcasing the best in Canadian tennis, Raonic (ATP World Tour Top 30) will be joined by WTA star Aleksandra Wozniak (Blainville, Quebec) and the No. 4 ranked junior in the world Eugenie Bouchard (Westmount, Quebec).
The Face-Off will be a tennis exhibition like no other. This one-of-a kind event will be the first ever tennis event at Air Canada Centre, the first time Sampras and Raonic will have played against each other, the first time Sampras has played in Canada since his retirement from the ATP World Tour and the first time Raonic will have played in Canada in 2011.
"Playing in front of my hometown against my hero growing up is a dream come true," said Raonic, Canada's highest ranked male singles player ever. "I'm also really excited about playing the first ever tennis event at the Air Canada Centre with Pete, Aleks, and Eugenie and I know tennis fans in Toronto and surrounding provinces will pack the arena to see how I match up with one of the best of all time".
"I am looking forward to playing in Canada once again," said Sampras. "I have great memories playing in the tournaments in Toronto and Montreal during my professional career and playing against Milos will certainly bring out that same competitive fire. I am anxious to show Milos and the fans that I can still play with the best at the highest level".
"SAP has a proud and longstanding relationship with tennis and we are excited to extend this to be the presenting partner of The Face-Off event," said Mark Aboud --- Managing Director, SAP Canada. "We are thrilled to support Milos, an SAP Ambassador, through all stages of his career and see tremendous value in bringing this unique family event to the community".
The format for the evening is scheduled to consist of three components:
Mixed Doubles ---Sampras, Raonic, Wozniak and Bouchard join local celebrities, athletes and/or prominent members of the community in a fan-friendly doubles competition.
Women's Singles --- Wozniak vs. Bouchard, a competitive singles match showcasing the best in Canadian women's tennis.
Men's Singles --- Sampras vs. Raonic, Hero vs. Prodigy; one of the greatest tennis players of all-time takes on one of the game's fastest rising stars. This highly competitive match will showcase perhaps two of the hardest and most effective servers.
The evening will be complemented with music and fan-interactive components emceed by Wayne Bryan, father of the Bryan Brothers (world's No. 1 doubles team).