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Maria Sharapova and Friends Bring Tennis and Laughs to LA

Dec 14th 2015

Maria Sharapova brought professional tennis back to Los Angeles with a two-day event at the UCLA Tennis Center, the former home of the ATP’s LA Open. Tickets ranged from $50 to $400, with some proceeds going to the Maria Sharapova Foundation to help families still dealing with the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. The star-studded event included Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish, Kei Nishikori, Madison Keys, Will Arnett, Chelsea Handler, and more.

Maria Sharapova

Sharapova is a proud Southern California resident, but the lack of pro tennis in Los Angeles denies her the chance to play a tournament in her hometown. Deciding to change that, she turned to a sponsor to make the event she was envisioning into a reality.

When Maria started talking about doing this tennis tournament, we were very excited,” Cristina Cheever, from Lifestyle and Brand Public Relations at Porsche, told Tennis View. “She’s been a brand ambassador for Porsche on a global level for a couple of years now. She wanted to find a way to bring tennis back to LA and we were very excited to be a part of it. It’s a great way for us to engage with our clientele, to relax and enjoy a sport that exemplifies elegance, style, and performance, attributes that resonate with Porsche as well.”

The inaugural edition of Maria and Friends, which Sharapova intends to make an annual event, featured pros and celebrities playing sometimes serious, sometimes funny matches. Day one kicked off with a mixed doubles match in which Mardy Fish and Madison Keys beat Andy Roddick and Laura Robson by a score of 6-4.

Next up, Fish and Roddick played a singles match that neither guy wanted to lose. Fish, who lives close enough to UCLA to walk to the event, took the match 7-6, 4-6, 12-10 after winning the champions tiebreak. “This feels like a real match,” Fish exclaimed, later explaining that he had dug deep into his hatred of losing to Roddick. Asked to say something nice about Andy in his post-match interview, Mardy replied, “He tries hard… he sweats a lot.”

Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish

Roddick told the crowd that fatherhood has been a lot of fun, but “every cliché about having a child is true. I remember when we used to be quasi-cool, now we just send each other photos of our kids.”

In the next match, Sharapova beat Keys 6-7, 6-1, 11-9 as once again the champions tiebreak was played in lieu of a third set. The final match of day one was a highlight of the event:  a battle of the sexes between Roddick and actor Will Arnett vs. Sharapova and her close friend, comedian Chelsea Handler. The women took the first three of four total games, outplaying the men with no trouble.

Andy and Will bantered back and forth to get the crowd doubled over with laughter. “Andy, your couch called, it misses you,” the actor teased. Arnett at one point examined a ball, shook his head and threw it back to the ball boy, demanding another. “I’ve always wanted to do that!,” he said with glee. Chelsea Handler chastised his lack of commitment to the match, saying, “I’ve been training for weeks for this!” In reply, Arnett screamed, “Well, I don’t have the kind of time you do!”

At a VIP party following the matches, Sharapova, Laura Robson, Madison Keys, and Jack Sock mingled with guests, signing autographs for kids and taking selfies with anyone who asked.

On day two, the weather forecast altered the schedule as the event raced against the impending rain. Fans were allowed to move down from the cheap seats to fill in the empty box seats, adding to the crowd’s excitement.

Sloane Stephens started the day with a 6-2 victory over Shelby Rogers. The second match featured Kei Nishikori and Jack Sock, both of whom played to win but also threw in some jokes for the crowd. Sock let a ball boy return serve for him once and then later borrowed a linesperson’s sunglasses to block the glare as the sun began to set. In the end, Nishikori pulled out the win 4-6, 6-3, 10-7, and he stayed on the court signing autographs for the huge group of fans who came out to support him.

Kei Nishikori

The autograph session only ended because the final event of the day had to begin: Sharapova and Nishikori vs. Sock and Robson. The foursome joked around with each other while playing, but after a handful of games, rain started to fall and marked the end of the event.

If Maria and Friends return to Los Angeles next year, this event could help revive tennis in Southern California and allow players to prepare for the upcoming Australian Open. Win-win.