Two of the biggest names in tennis – Venus Williams and Andy Roddick – are headlining a charity night of tennis at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex this fall.
The event is the Mylan WTT Smash Hits presented by GEICO and it’s co-hosted by Sir Elton John and Billie Jean King. This year’s event is planned for Sunday, November 1 at the HP Field House and it locally hosted by Robert and Tricia Earl.
Roddick, a former world Number 1 who won 30 singles titles on the ATP World Tour including the 2003 US Open, is playing in his 9th Smash Hits event. Williams participated in her first Smash Hits event in 1997 – the last time the event was held at Disney. She has won Olympic gold and 44 career singles titles on the WTA tour including five Wimbledon singles championships.
Past players have included Serena Williams, Andre Agassi, Stefanie Graf, Pete Sampras, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, John McEnroe, Bob and Mike Bryan, Jimmy Connors, Anna Kournikova and Lindsay Davenport. The players for this year will be announced later this fall.
Tickets for Mylan WTT Smash Hits go on sale at 10 a.m. ET, Monday, September 9. All seats are reserved and prices range from $50-$125. Tickets can be ordered via www.WTTSmashHits.com or ticketmaster.com. For group sales of 10 or more tickets, call (407) 574-2599.
Special VIP ticket packages, including VIP courtside seating and admission to the VIP Reception and Auction, will also be available for $500 and will directly benefit the Hope and Help Center.
The VIP Reception will feature a pre-match live auction with Sir Elton John, Billie Jean King, and all the players. This auction will include an Elton John signed piano bench and King’s Wimbledon tickets among other items. To buy VIP ticket packages or for more information, call (407) 574-2599.
Last year the Mylan WTT Smash Hits in Pittsburgh raised $1 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) and other local charities. In the 20 years of the event more than $11.5 million has been raised. This year’s event in Orlando will benefit the EJAF and the Hope and Help Center of Central Florida. For more information on Mylan WTT Smash Hits presented by GEICO, visit www.WTTSmashHits.com.
