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Swingtime warming up: 2 tennis celebs commit to event
Tennis celebs Mardy Fish and Sebastien Grosjean have committed early for Swingtime Pro-Celebrity and Pro-Am Tennis and Golf Tournament.
The event benefits the Tim and Tom Gullikson Foundation, which provides assistance to brain tumor patients and their families.
The tennis pro-am and exhibition is Nov. 22-23 at The Player’s Club and Spa at Lely Resort, with the golf pro-am tournament played Nov. 23 at Olde Cypress.
Fish, a long time Swingtime participant, recently made headlines for beating three of the top 10 players, including Roger Federer, on his way to the finals at the Masters Series Tournament in Indian Wells.
Fish has won two singles and three doubles titles on the ATP tour, along with a Silver Medal at the Athens Olympics.
Grosjean, who has won four singles and five doubles titles in his career, has been ranked as high as No. 4 in the world.
“Naples and Stock Development’s The Players Club and Spa at Lely Resort and Olde Cypress continue to be a great host for Swingtime,” said Gullikson. “Mardy and Sebastien are just the beginning of another incredible field of celebrities.”
Past participants of Swingtime include tennis legends Chris Evert and Stan Smith, tennis stars Andy Roddick, James Blake, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Jim Courier, Todd Martin, Aaron Krickstein, and Kathy Rinaldi; NFL players Earl Morrall, Paul Warfield, and Joe Namath and Major League Baseball’s Gary Carter, Keith Hernandez and Bill Gullickson.
Over the past 10 years, Swingtime has raised more than $1 million for the foundation. The Foundation was established in 1995 after Tim Gullikson was diagnosed with malignant brain tumors. Gullikson, who as a coach helped establish Pete Sampras as the top player in the world, died in 1996 at age 44, after losing his battle with the disease.
The Foundation’s mission is to fund care and support programs to assist brain-tumor patients and their families in managing the physical, emotional and social challenges presented by the illness. Among other things, the Foundation funds information and support phone lines for brain tumor patients and their families, sends children who are brain tumor survivors to camp, and gives college scholarships to students who have been affected by brain tumors.
Official sponsors of Swingtime include Allen Systems Group (ASG), JetBlue Airways, Meridian Broadcasting – WINK 1240 AM, Naples Daily News, Naples Illustrated, Nike and Tennis Week.
Tickets for Swingtime’s Tennis Exhibition are $70 for Box Seats and $35 for General Admission seating. Invitations to the Swingtime Gala cost $250 each.
For tickets to the Tennis Exhibition, call 800-927-7242. For more information, or to purchase spots in the Tennis Pro-Am, Golf Pro-Am Tournament or invitations to the Swingtime Gala phone 561-394-9190, or e-mail MLCope@chevents.com.

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