Tennis stars like Serena and Venus Williams, Naomi Osaka, Maria Sharapova, and more should be getting ready to play on clay at the moment, but like many of us, they’re stuck at home instead. So, in the absence of a good old tennis season, they’re going to pair up with celebrities and play a Mario Tennis Aces tournament online.
Serena Williams and Gigi Hadid will take on the likes of Madison Keys and Seal in this one off tournament, and to make it feel more authentic, legendary tennis pro John McEnroe will be commentating the Stay At Home Slam with YouTuber Justine ‘iJustine’ Ezarik on Sunday.
According to Polygon, all the participants will be playing from home, and they’ll all get $25,000 to donate to a charity of their choice. The winners will receive an extra $1,000,000 to donate to their charity too, so it’s all to play for.
“Gaming’s superpower has always been bringing people together, and right now that’s the case more than ever,” Leo Olebe, global director of games partnerships for Facebook Gaming, says. “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 full list of participants are as follows:
- Serena Williams & Gigi Hadid
- Naomi Osaka & Hailey Bieber
- Venus Williams & DeAndre Hopkins
- Maria Sharapova & Karlie Kloss
- Kei Nishikori & Steve Aoki
- Taylor Fritz & Addison Rae
- Kevin Anderson & Ryan Tannehill
Catch The Stay At Home Slam on Facebook Gaming and IMG Tennis from 1PM PT (4PM ET / 9PM BST) on Sunday, May 3.
