NASSAU, Bahamas -- Tickets are now on sale for the 9th Annual Mark Knowles Celebrity Tennis Invitational professional exhibition and charity event to be held in Nassau on December 5th, 2009 at the National Tennis Centre, Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre.  The Exhibition starts at 3pm and is open to all. 

Andy Roddick and Mark Knowles' recent doubles partner from Wimbledon, Anna-Lena Groenefeld are confirmed to be in attendance.

Admission for the exhibition is $10 for Adults and free for children. Tickets are now on sale at the following outlets: The National Tennis Centre, The Atlantis Tennis Centre, Village Squash Club, Lyford Cay School, and H. G. Christie Real Estate.

Once again, the proceeds of the event will go to aid local children’s charities such as The Cancer Society, the Sassoon (Bahamas) Foundation for Pediatric Heart Care, The Special Olympics, The Association for the Physically Disabled, The Chance Foundation and the Mark Knowles Tennis Scholarship Fund.  To date over $400,000 has been distributed to various charities.  The aim this year is to increase total donations to $500,000.

The major sponsors to date include: Atlantis Resort & Casino, Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch Private Bank & Trust;   Pictet Bank & Trust Ltd; Serenity Point, Abaco; The Balmoral; The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism; American Airlines;   The Bank of the Bahamas; Everkey Global Fund;   Templeton Global Advisors; Odyssey Aviation; H3O; TheBahamasWeekly; and The Ministry of Youth Sports & Culture.

Click here to view the poster.

Photo 1: Andy Roddick shakes hands with Mark Knowles on the court. Roddick recently partnered with Knowles at the China Open in Beijing where they reached the doubles final. Mark Knowles is excited to have Roddick participate in the Exhibition this year on December 5th in Nassau.  (Photo: Ron Angle)

Photo 2: Mark Knowles with doubles partner Anna-Lena Groenefeld after winning at the 2009 Wimbledon. Groenefeld is confirmed to participate in this year's Invitational in The Bahamas. (Photo: Fred Mullane)

The Mark Knowles Celebrity Tennis Invitational is a Charity Event hosted by Mark. It was first held in 2001. The event is held in December at the National Tennis Centre in Nassau (New Providence), Bahamas. The purpose of the event is to raise money for various charities, such as The Sassoon Pediatric Heart Foundation, The Cancer Society, The Association of the Physically Disabled, The Childrens Emergency Hospital, The Boy Scouts of Bahamas, The Special Olympics and scholarships for promising junior tennis players.  Visit: www.markknowlestennis.com