NEW YORK, Nov. 19, 2013 -- Ivan Lendl will replace Jimmy Connors in the field at the Powershares QQQ Challenge to be held February 14 at the Banker’s Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, InsideOut Sports & Entertainment announced today.
Connors cited “personal reasons” for his withdrawal. Lendl will join the field that features his arch rival John McEnroe, two-time French and Australian Open champion Jim Courier and former Wimbledon and U.S. Open finalist Mark Philippoussis. The one-night tournament will feature three matches; two one-set semifinal matches, followed by a one-set championship match. The PowerShares QQQ Challenge is the fourth event on the 12-city PowerShares Series tennis circuit, featuring legendary tennis players over the age of 30.
Event tickets, starting at $25, are on sale now at www.PowerSharesSeries.com, www.TicketMaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. VIP packages are available online at PowerSharesSeries.com, by email to VIP@insideoutse.com, or by phone at 253.315.4299.
Lendl won eight major singles titles in his career, including three U.S. Open titles during his stretch of reaching the U.S. singles final a record eight straight years from 1982-1989. He reached 19 majors singles finals in his career, more than any player in tennis history except Roger Federer. Lendl won 94 career ATP singles titles, which is second all-time. Since January of 2012, Lendl has served as the coach of Andy Murray, guiding him to victories at the US Open, the Olympic Games and Wimbledon.
McEnroe won seven majors singles titles in his career along with 10 other majors in doubles and mixed doubles. He won the U.S. Open four times and Wimbledon three times and helped the United States to the Davis Cup title five times. He captured 77 career singles titles and 78 career doubles titles, his last being in San Jose, California in 2006 at the age of 47. McEnroe, who will turn 55 on February 9, has continued his fine play, winning numerous champions events around the world in singles and doubles since his final full-time year on the ATP Tour in 1992. He also continues to entertain tennis audiences as one of the best television commentators in the sport’s history.
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 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.
Philippoussis rocked the tennis world with one of the most ferocious serves the game has seen that earned him the nick-name of “Scud.” He reached the final of the U.S. Open in 1998, falling to Patrick Rafter, and at Wimbledon in 2003, losing to Roger Federer. He also helped Australia win the Davis Cup in 1999 and 2003.
ABOUT INSIDEOUT SPORTS + ENTERTAINMENT
InsideOut Sports + Entertainment is a New York City-based independent producer of proprietary events and promotions founded in 2004 by former world No. 1 and Hall of Fame tennis player Jim Courier and former SFX and Clear Channel executive Jon Venison. In 2005, InsideOut launched its signature property, the Champions Series, a collection of tournaments featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including "Legendary Night" exhibitions, charity events and corporate outings. Since inception, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment has have raised over $4 million for charity. For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.powersharesseries.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
ABOUT INVESCO POWERSHARES
Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC is Leading the Intelligent ETF Revolution® through its family of more than 140 domestic and international exchange-traded funds, providing advisors and investors access to an innovative array of focused investment opportunities. With franchise assets over $66.7 billion as of June 29, 2012, PowerShares ETFs trade on both U.S. stock exchanges. For more information, please visit us at invescopowershares.com or follow us on Twitter @PowerShares.
ABOUT POWERSHARES QQQ
PowerShares QQQ™, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on the NASDAQ-100 Index®, is one of the largest and most traded ETFs in the world. Under most circumstances, QQQ will consist of all of the stocks in the index which includes 100 of the largest domestic and international nonfinancial companies listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market based on market capitalization.
CONTACT:
Randy Walker for PowerShares Series Tennis
(917) 770 0843
Rwalker@NewChapterMedia.com