Serena Williams, DeAndre Hopkins and More Stars to Play Mario Tennis for Charity
There may not be any live tennis at the moment, but watching Serena Williams, Venus Williams and DeAndre Hopkins, among more stars, trying their hand at Mario Tennis isn't a bad alternative.
Facebook Gaming and IMG Tennis partnered to create the "Stay at Home Slam" that will pit tennis players and celebrities against each other in Mario Tennis Aces for Nintendo Switch. The tournament starts Sunday at 4 p.m. ET and can be live-streamed on Facebook Gaming's website and the IMG Tennis Facebook Page.
The tournament's winner will have the opportunity to donate $1 million to the charity of his or her choice in addition to the $25,000 that is already being donated to the charity of each player's choice.
Much like the NBA 2K Players Tournament, those who tune in will see the virtual action on the court and live feeds of the athletes playing. John McEnroe and YouTube personality iJustine (Justine Ezarik) will provide commentary.
Here is a look at the full list of the tennis players and their celebrity double partners:
- Serena Williams and Gigi Hadid
- Naomi Osaka and Hailey Bieber
- Venus Williams and DeAndre Hopkins
- Maria Sharapova and Karlie Kloss
- Kei Nishikori and Steve Aoki
- Madison Keys and Seal
- Taylor Fritz and Addison Rae
- Kevin Anderson and Ryan Tannehill
Facebook Gaming also helped create the #PlayApartTogether Tournament with competitions on games such as Fortnite, FIFA, Valorant and Forza Horizon 4 to raise money and awareness for COVID-19 relief.
Professional athletes such as Christian McCaffrey, Jarvis Landry and Andre Drummond, among others, were involved in those efforts.
