The tennis will move from Queens to Brooklyn when Barclays Center hosts its first tennis event in January.
John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, James Blake and Jim Courier will compete in a four-man singles tournament on Jan. 7 as part of the PowerShares QQQ Cup, according to Barclays Center officials.
It’s the most prestigious tennis battle in Brooklyn since the borough hosted the Davis Cup in 1902. Tickets go on sale Friday.
Roddick faces Blake and McEnroe takes on Courier in one-set semifinals. The winners will play in a one-set championship match. Andre Agassi originally signed up for the multi-city QQQ Series, but has pulled out due to back woes.
The four retired American stars playing in Brooklyn stands as another reminder of the decline in U.S. men’s tennis. No American man is in the top 10 in the rankings, and for the fifth straight year, no American man made it to the US Open quarterfinals.
“As a New Yorker, I’m thrilled to be part of the first-ever tennis event at Barclays Center,” said McEnroe, who won four US Opens. “New York has an incredible tennis history, so it’s fitting that Brooklyn is where we will conclude another great year of the PowerShares QQQ Series.”