Serena, NFL players to compete in charity virtual tennis event

Saturday, 2 May 2020 00:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Serena Williams of the U.S. in action during the match against China's Qiang Wang Reuters

Reuters: Tennis stars Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Naomi Osaka plus NFL players DeAndre Hopkins and Ryan Tannehill are among the celebrities who will participate in a virtual charity tennis tournament.

The ‘Stay at Home Slam’ will be streamed Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on Facebook Gaming and on the tennis Facebook page of the company coordinating the tournament, IMG.

Two-person teams will compete using the Mario Tennis Aces game on Nintendo Switch.

Each team will be allotted $25,000 to donate to a charity of its choosing, with the championship duo getting another $1 million for charity.

According to Deadline.com, Facebook Gaming Global Director of Games Partnerships Leo Olebe said: “Gaming’s superpower has always been bringing people together, and right now, that’s the case more than ever. Blending that superpower with pro-athletes and epic entertainment to raise money for COVID-19 relief and research efforts is a natural fit that we’re proud to be a part of.”

The competing teams will be as follows.

Serena Williams and model Gigi Hadid

Naomi Osaka and model Hailey Bieber

Venus Williams and Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins

Maria Sharapova and model Karlie Kloss

Kei Nishikori and DJ Steve Aoki

Madison Keys and musician Seal

Taylor Fritz and TikTok personality Addison Rae

Kevin Anderson and Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill

The commentary team will be International Tennis Hall of Famer John McEnroe and YouTube personality Justine ‘iJustine’ Ezarik.