Seven-time Grand Slam winner and 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist Andre Agassi will take on 2003 U.S. Open Champion and current ATP Masters Race points leader Andy Roddick in the inaugural "Emeril's Grand Bam" at the Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans on December 5. The exhibition, which is presented by the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, was made possible thanks to a longtime friendship between Chef Emeril Lagasse and Andre Agassi and is a local youth outreach program to benefit 2000 school students of public, private and parochial schools in Orleans, Jefferson and the surrounding parishes. Final proceeds from the event will help benefit youth initiatives and programs throughout the New Orleans community. The event is made possible through partnerships with organizations like The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and the USTA Southern Section.
The event will feature live music by the Rebirth Brass Band, and will begin at 12:30 p.m., with doors opening at 11:30 a.m.. For those who have never been to Municipal Auditorium, it is a very intimate setting, and tickets will be hard to come by. Only 2,000 tickets will be made available for purchase, with general admission (upper balcony seating) tickets for $40, while box seats and floor (courtside) seats are $100. Tickets are on sale now, and are available through Ticketmaster.com, or by calling 504-522-5555.
This competition is part of a tour of exhibition matches being played by Andy Roddick this winter. He is also facing Andre Agassi in North Little Rock, AR on December 6 and is taking on James Blake in Lexington, KY on December 7. Roddick is ending his exhibition tour in Atlanta, GA when he takes on Brian Vahaly on December 12.