ANDRE AGASSI, ANDY RODDICK HIGHLIGHT FIELD FOR FIRST-EVER TENNIS EVENT AT BARCLAYS CENTER IN BROOKLYN

BROOKLYN (January 25, 2016) - Tennis champions Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, and James Blake will compete in the “PowerShares QQQ Cup” Saturday, December 3 in the 2016 PowerShares Series finale at 7 p.m. in the first-ever tennis event played at Barclays Center.

Tennis has enjoyed a storied history in Brooklyn. The borough was host to the second-ever Davis Cup in August of 1902 at the Crescent Athletic Club and the U.S. Pro Tennis Championships were held at Brooklyn’s Terrace Club in 1935.

“It will be an honor to be a part of the first-ever tennis event at such an impressive arena as Barclays Center,” said Roddick, the winner of the 2015 PowerShares Series points title. “I’ve always loved Brooklyn and can’t wait to get back there.”

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of history at Barclays Center and look forward to bringing a great night of entertainment to the Brooklyn fans,” said Jon Venison, Partner at InsideOut Sports & Entertainment, which operates the PowerShares Series.

“We are delighted to expand our sports portfolio by bringing professional tennis to Barclays Center for the first time,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. “It’s particularly exciting to welcome our inaugural tennis event with some of the sport’s most legendary players.”

Ticket on-sale information for the event will be announced at a later date.

Agassi is one of seven men in tennis history to capture a career Grand Slam – winning singles titles at all four major tournaments. He won four Australian Open titles, two US Open titles, one Wimbledon title and one French Open title. He and Rafael Nadal are the only men in tennis history to win a career Grand Slam and an Olympic gold medal, Agassi triumphing at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2011.

Roddick was the top American man in professional tennis over the last 10 years, winning the 2003 US Open while also posting runner-up finishes at Wimbledon in 2004, 2005 and 2009. He achieved the world No. 1 ranking in 2003 and guided the United States to the Davis Cup title in 2007 – the first championship for the U.S. in 12 years. He concluded his sure-to-be Hall of Fame career at the 2012 US Open.

Courier won a pair of French and Australian Open singles titles in the early 1990s when he became the first American to reach the No. 1 ranking since John McEnroe in 1985. Courier was also the youngest player to reach all four major singles finals in a career when he reached the Wimbledon final in 1993 at age 22. He also guided the U.S. to Davis Cup titles in 1992 and 1995 and currently serves as the U.S. team captain. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005.

Blake ended his 14-year ATP career that saw him win 10 singles titles and reach a career high ranking of No. 4 at the 2013 U.S. Open. Blake is best known for playing singles for the U.S. Davis Cup team in helping the United States win the 2007 title – the first win for a U.S. team since 1995. He won the PowerShares Series events in Boston and Cincinnati last year and finished No. 2 on the tour’s season-long points rankings behind Andy Roddick.   

Each PowerShares Series event features two one-set semifinal matches and a one-set championship match. For the second straight year, players will make their own line calls, with the assistance of electronic line-calling.

In 2015, Roddick won the PowerShares Series points title in his second year of competing on the series with 1,600 points. Roddick won a record eight events Los Angeles, Lincoln, Chicago, Austin, Little Rock, Dallas, Richmond and Minneapolis. Blake finished second in the points rankings with 1,200 points, winning events in Boston and Cincinnati. Philippoussis finished in third with 1,100 points, winning titles in Salt Lake City and Vancouver. The year before in 2014, McEnroe won the points title for the first time in the nine-year history of Champions Series tennis by winning events in Kansas City, Indianapolis, Nashville and Charlotte.