Kei Nishikori, Maria Sharapova and Feliciano López are the first three players confirmed for the charity tournament that will take place on 4 May in Madrid

On 4 May at 19:30 the Manolo Santana Centre court will host the Madrid Tie Break Tens charity event, a new competition format that has already been tried in Vienna and London and is now coming to Spain for the first time.

A total of 16 players (8 ATP players and 8 WTA players) will compete in a tournament that will have 400,000 dollars of prize money, which will be shared between the two champions ($200,000 for the ATP winner and $200,000 for the WTA champion). In addition, the tournament will donate $100,000 to the charities chosen by the winners.

The event will be held in the Caja Mágica on the eve of the sixteenth Mutua Madrid Open and will be broadcast live on Teledeporte and Radio Marca.

Ex-world number 1 and 5-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova spoke of her desire to play in the event: “I’m excited to have the chance to play Tie Break Tens for the first time. The format of playing only ten-point tie-breaks means we need to be at our best from the very first point, which will make the whole event intense to play and to watch.”

Current world number 5 Kei Nishikori is also keen to take part in the event: “Tie-Breaks provide some of the best moments in tennis, so to have the chance to play Tie Break Tens, in which every match is a ten-point tie-break, will be a great experience. I am very much looking forward to it”.

For his part, Feliciano López will be playing with the fans on his side: “I have played 500 tie-breaks in my career and they are always exciting whether you win them or lose them. Tie Break Tens in Madrid is going to be great – fast, competitive and entertaining for the fans”. 

Tie Break Tens comes to Madrid after the success of the event in London and Vienna, where fans were able to enjoy an appealing new format. Andy Murray reached both finals, where he lost to Kyle Edmund and Dominic Thiem. Madrid, therefore will crown the third champion in the history of Tie Break Tens.

Vienna’s champion Dominic Thiem said “Tie Break Tens has a great future. It’s a great format and a lot of fun. The final I had with Andy Murray was really tense, serious tennis and I would love to play it again”.

Gerard Tsobanian, CEO and President of the Mutua Madrid Open wanted to underscore the charity aspect of Tie Break Tens: “I have always loved this format. I had the chance to watch it in Vienna and when they offered us the opportunity to bring it to the Caja Mágica I thought that the fans in Madrid would love it. Even though only one player gets a monetary reward, they all know they are contributing to charity. The charity side of Tie Break Tens is essential to us”.

In the coming weeks the event organisers and MARCA, the official Tie Break Tens media agency will announce the names of the other 13 players who will be playing alongside Sharapova, Nishikori and Feliciano.  

2017 Tie Break Tens:

Hora: 19:30 (doors open at 18:30)

Participants: Two draws with 16 players

Format: Quarters, semis and final

Prize Money: $200,000 to the ATP champion and $200,000 to the WTA champion $100,000 for charities.

TV: The tournament will be broadcast live in Spain on Teledeporte

Website: www.tiebreaktens.com

Ticket sales: www.entradas.com

Twitter: @TieBreakTens

Facebook: http://facebook.com/tiebreaktens