World No. 3 and men’s all-time Grand Slam leader Roger Federer, and two-time US Open champions Rafael Nadal and Venus Williams will be participating in Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day.
Federer, Nadal and Williams have committed to take part in the 2017 version of the star-studded event, which will be held Saturday, Aug. 26, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Hosted on the grounds of the US Open, this festival of music and tennis will kick off the 2017 US Open, which runs Aug. 28 – Sept. 11. Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day features interactive games and family events that are free and open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET, followed by a ticketed stadium show that begins at 1 p.m. ET.
The three former champions will take part alongside other top pros during the stadium show. Players who have participated in past Kids’ Days include Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and many more, and past musical acts include Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande and Flo Rida.
Related: Top talents headline 2017 Arthur Ashe Kids' Day
For more than two decades, Kids’ Day has honored the legacy of tennis great and pioneer Arthur Ashe, and is the largest single-day, grass-roots tennis and entertainment event in the world. The day features a stadium show with musical acts in addition to the former US Open champions and top players hitting the court in fun exhibition matches and skills challenges.
Federer is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His record 19 major titles include five US Opens (2004-08). He is also one of only seven men to have completed the career Grand Slam, winning titles at all four Grand Slam events. For 2017, he will be competing in the Emirates Airline Performance Challenge on behalf of the Roger Federer Foundation, which works to provide access for African children to high-quality early learning and education. This will mark Federer’s 10th appearance at Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day.
Williams, the US Open champion in 2000 and 2001, has an astounding 49 career titles and has earned more than $37 million in prize money since she turned pro in 1994. 2017 has been a banner year for Venus, who has reached the final at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, making her the only woman to appear in two Grand Slam finals on the season. Off the court, Venus is an established and successful businesswoman, juggling the demands of multiple businesses with her training.
Nadal is returning to Arthur Ashe Kids' Day for the eighth time, having first participated in 2005. The prospective No. 1 seed at this year's Open, Nadal has won a staggering 15 Grand Slam titles throughout his career, including the 2010 and 2013 US Opens. His win at the 2017 French Open made him the only player in the Open era, man or woman, to win a single Grand Slam 10 times. Nadal is also a three-time recipient of the ATP Player of the Year award and was selected as the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year in 2011 for this work with the Rafa Nadal Foundation.
Proceeds from Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day benefit the USTA Foundation, which helps fund the National Junior Tennis & Learning Network (NJTL), a nationwide group of more than 500 nonprofit youth-development organizations that provide free or low-cost tennis, education and life-skills programming to more than 225,000 children each year, founded 48 years ago by Ashe along with Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder.
Visit ArthurAsheKidsDay.com for more information, and click here to purchase tickets to the stadium show.
