The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, a Las Vegas Sands Corp. property, today announced it will play host to a historic match between two of the greatest tennis players of all time.

Current World No. 1 Roger Federer will take on former No.1 Pete Sampras, in what is set to be one of the most anticipated events in world tennis, at The Venetian Macao Tennis Showdown, to be played on Saturday November 24, at The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel’s stunning new event center in the People’s Republic of China Special Administrative Region of Macao.

“We are delighted to bring to Macao what has to be one of the most thrilling match-ups in international tennis,” said William P. Weidner, president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp. “The tennis world has always compared and contrasted these two greats of the game since Pete Sampras retired in 2002. We now have the prospect of an absolutely classic game between two phenomenal sportsmen.”

“This is an exciting and unique event and we are proud to be establishing an enviable reputation for bringing world class sport and entertainment to Macao,” continued Weidner. “With our Manchester United fixture in July, our NBA China Games 2007 games featuring the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers in October and now the Sampras v Federer showdown, we are truly living up to our promise to make The Venetian Macao the pre-eminent destination for sports and entertainment events, to compliment our incredible combination of shopping, dining, leisure and recreation.”

In the fourth round of the 2001 Wimbledon, Federer beat Sampras on the only occasion they have previously played. Sampras holds the most Grand Slams (14) and the most Wimbledon Titles (7). He also holds the record for the most number of weeks as world No 1, a staggering 286 weeks. Since Sampras’ retirement from competitive tennis Roger Federer reigns supreme, and is only matched with Rafael Nadal among his peers.

Nick Freyer, senior vice president, IMG Tennis, Asia, revealed how this Tennis Showdown first became a reality. “Roger contacted Pete in Los Angeles, and Pete invited him to play at his house. They hit a few balls, played some points then some sets. The scores were close and Pete was thrilled with the way he played. From this game the idea of a Tennis Showdown was born.”

Said Pete Sampras of the recent meeting, the first time both players have been together on a tennis court since Wimbledon: “I was very happy that I held my own. It was great to play Roger and it was terrific fun.” For Federer it was also a memorable occasion: “The game was close and Pete was playing great tennis, but not good enough to beat me. I won’t be telling you the score though!”

Federer continued, “The tennis was so good that we felt it was a pity not to share the shots, energy, and excitement with the world one more time. We are both delighted to be visiting Asia and Macao and putting on a great game for our many fans in the region.”

At a press conference in Hong Kong today, Mr. Weidner joined Pete Sampras in a live call to announce details of the Macao match. The Venetian Macao Tennis Showdown will be the most sought after tennis event of 2007 and IMG is expecting to sell over 10,000 tickets, with full pricing details to be announced at a later date. The game is set to attract the biggest audience ever for a tennis match in Macao, Hong Kong and Southern China and one of the largest ever in Asia.

The Venetian Macao Tennis Showdown is the grand finale of a three-leg Sampras v Federer Asia exhibition match tour, which includes Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on November 22 and a match on November 20 at a third location yet to be announced.

Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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