One of tennis' most star-studded
charity events is coming to Las Vegas strip for the first time
this fall, courtesy of Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King. The
United States Tennis Association in Nevada is proud to be a promotional
partner and to be a part of this historic event.
Four former world No. 1s - Andre
Agassi, Stefanie Graf, Martina Navratilova and Andy Roddick -
will headline Mylan World TeamTennis (WTT) Smash Hits on Monday,
Oct. 12 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, where Elton performs
his hit show, "The Million Dollar Piano." This historic
tennis location once again will set the stage with a custom built
tennis stadium adjacent to the Caesars Palace fountains on the
strip.
Tickets for Mylan WTT Smash Hits go on sale at 10 a.m. PT on
Thursday, July 23. Premium reserved chair back seats are $125,
and general admission seats are $45. Special VIP ticket packages,
including VIP courtside seating and admission to the VIP Reception
and Auction, will also be available for $500.
Due to a strong response from sponsors there are only 1,500 tickets
total available to the general public for this special event.
To buy tickets or for more information, call the USTA Nevada
office at 702-822-1081 or email support@ustanevada.com.
Buying tickets through the USTA office supports the organization's
efforts to promote professional tennis!
For VIP packages the evening begins with a pre-match VIP Reception
and Auction at 5:30 p.m. at Caesars Palace, with tennis action
set for 7 p.m. John, King and all players will participate in
the pre-match live auction, which will include an Elton John
signed piano bench and King's Wimbledon tickets, among other
items. To buy VIP Reception ticket packages or for more information,
call the USTA Nevada office at 702-822-1081 or email support@ustanevada.com.
Sponsorship packages are also
available by contacting Maureen at support@ustanevada.com.
For those looking to make a weekend
of it, Caesars has a room package and Elton John concert tickets
available on their web site.
Tennis action is set to begin at 7 p.m. on a specially-constructed
tennis court adjacent to Caesars Palace Fountains right in front
of the Las Vegas strip. This year's annual event will benefit
the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) and Aid for AIDS of Nevada
(AFAN). A portion of the funds raised at the pre-match VIP Reception
and Auction will be specifically targeted for local programs.
Longtime friends King and John
first brought together the music and tennis worlds for this event
in 1993 and have served as the event coaches and co-hosts ever
since.Since 1993, Mylan WTT Smash Hits has raised more than $13
million for EJAF and various local AIDS charities throughout
the United States. This is the first time in the event's 23-year
history that it will be staged in Las Vegas.
"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."
Mylan CEO Heather Bresch commented: "We are very excited
to return as the title sponsor for this year's Mylan WTT Smash
Hits event in Las Vegas. Under Sir Elton John and Billie Jean
King's leadership, WTT continues to help accelerate the world's
fight against HIV/AIDS and this event represents a powerful opportunity
to raise funds and awareness for the cause. At Mylan, we share
WTT's passion for making a difference. Our mission to set new
standards in healthcare and provide the world's 7 billion people
access to high quality medicine is reflected, for example, in
the nearly 50% of HIV/AIDS patients in developing countries who
depend on a Mylan antiretroviral therapy. We look forward to
a great event and Mylan WTT's continued success."
"We are proud to host the return of Billie Jean King to
Caesars Palace in the prestigious Mylan WTT Smash Hits, marking
the event's first time in Las Vegas," said Caesars Palace
President Gary Selesner. "Throughout its nearly 50 years,
Caesars Palace has a long-standing tradition and reputation for
hosting major tennis tournaments including the Alan King Tennis
Classic for more than 13 years beginning in 1972 with world-class
athletes including Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. Continuing in
1975, the historic mixed doubles match was held with Billie Jean
King, who played alongside Marty Riessen against Jimmy Connors
and Chris Evert. The hard courts created for these tremendous
matches will once again be constructed - this time in front of
Caesars Palace near our iconic fountains. It's our honor to support
Billie Jean King, our resident headliner Elton John, the Elton
John AIDS Foundation, and locally, AFAN in this very worthy cause."
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.
Official event sponsors include
title sponsor Mylan and host sponsor Caesars Palace. Ryan Wolfington
and USTA Nevada are promotional partners of Mylan WTT Smash Hits.
"USTA Nevada is honored that legends like Billie Jean King
and Sir Elton John have selected Las Vegas for this special charity
event," said Ryan Wolfington, Executive Director. "This
specially built stadium off the strip, next to the Caesars fountains,
is going to add another historical event to Las Vegas' great
tennis tradition. "
Additional sponsors and partners
include Adecco, DecoTurf, Forevermark, GEICO, Marty Hennessy
Inspiring Children Foundation and Wilson.
For more information on Mylan WTT Smash Hits or to purchase tickets
call USTA Nevada office at 702-792-8384 or email support@ustanevada.com.
For more information on the Elton John AIDS Foundation, visit
www.EJAF.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Rosie Crews, Mylan WTT (rcrews@wtt.com),
PH: (817) 684-0366
Kelly Frey, Caesars Entertainment (kfrey@caesars.com),
PH: (702) 785-6639
2015 Mylan WTT Smash Hits - Organizations & Charities
About Elton John AIDS Foundation
(EJAF)
At EJAF, we believe that AIDS can be beaten. We act on that
belief by raising funds for effective programs and policies,
and also by speaking out with honesty and compassion about the
realities of people's lives. Sir Elton John created EJAF over
twenty years ago, first in the United States in 1992 and then
in the United Kingdom in 1993. Through hard work and with the
help of our network of kind, amazing, creative, and generous
friends and supporters, the two foundations together have raised
more than $321 million over the past two decades to combat stigma,
prevent infections, provide treatment and services, and motivate
governments to end AIDS. The U.S. foundation focuses its efforts
on programs in the United States, the Americas, and the Caribbean,
while the U.K. foundation funds HIV-related work in Europe, Asia,
and Africa. Join us in speaking out, taking action, and contributing
to our efforts to achieve a world without AIDS. For more information,
please visit www.ejaf.org.
About Aid for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN)
Aid for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN) provides support and advocacy for
adults and children living with and affected by HIV/AIDS in southern
Nevada. AFAN works to reduce HIV infection through prevention
education to eliminate fear, prejudice and the stigma associated
with the disease. AFAN is committed to a system that nurtures
personal growth and dignity of persons served, which is emphasized
during orientation, ongoing staff trainings and the culture of
our organization. For more information about AFAN, please visit
www.afanlv.org.
About Mylan
Mylan is a global pharmaceutical company committed to setting
new standards in health care. Working together around the world
to provide 7 billion people access to high quality medicine,
we innovate to satisfy unmet needs; make reliability and service
excellence a habit; do what's right, not what's easy; and impact
the future through passionate global leadership. We offer a growing
portfolio of more than 1,200 generic pharmaceuticals and several
brand medications. In addition, we offer a wide range of antiretroviral
therapies, upon which approximately 40% of HIV/AIDS patients
in developing countries depend. We also operate one of the largest
active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturers and currently
market products in approximately 140 countries and territories.
Our workforce of more than 20,000 people is dedicated to improving
the customer experience and increasing pharmaceutical access
to consumers around the world. www.Mylan.com
About Mylan World TeamTennis (WTT)
Mylan World TeamTennis showcases both the best in professional
and recreational team tennis with the innovative team format
co-founded by Billie Jean King in the 1970s. Mylan World TeamTennis
features the best in professional team tennis competing for the
King Trophy, the league's championship trophy which is named
after King. In July 2015, Mylan WTT became only the fifth major
professional team sports league in the U.S. to reach the 40th
season milestone. On the recreational side of the sport, the
Mylan WTT Recreational League also operates team leagues and
events. For more information, visit www.WTT.com.
About Caesars Palace
World-renowned Las Vegas hotel and casino, Caesars Palace features
3,960 hotel guest rooms and suites, including the 181-room Nobu
Hotel Caesars Palace and Forbes Star Award-winning The Laurel
Collection by Caesars Palace. The 85-acre resort offers 25 diverse
dining options including the award-winning Bacchanal Buffet,
as well as celebrity chef-branded restaurants by Gordon Ramsay,
Bobby Flay, Nobu Matsuhisa, Guy Savoy, and Searsucker Las Vegas,
the restaurant from "Top Chef" finalist Brian Malarkey.
The resort also features nearly 130,000 square-feet of casino
space, a five-acre Garden of the Gods pool oasis, the luxurious
Qua Baths & Spa and the new 75,000 square-foot OMNIA Nightclub.
The 4,300-seat Colosseum, Billboard Magazine's Venue of the Decade,
spotlights world-class entertainers including Celine Dion, Elton
John, Rod Stewart, Reba, Brooks & Dunn, Mariah Carey and
Jerry Seinfeld. The Forum Shops at Caesars showcases more than
160 boutiques and restaurants. For more information, please visit
www.caesarspalace.com.
Find Caesars Palace on Facebook and follow on Twitter.
Ryan Wolfington
Executive Director
USTA-Nevada
702-792-8384
702-727-1163 (Fax)
Director@USTANevada.com
www.ustanevada.com
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