Hall of Famer and Baltimore native Pam Shriver approaches her annual charity tennis classic in much the same way the U.S. Postal Service goes about delivering mail. Nothing is going to stop it.
"I think there is still a great desire to have that one fun night of tennis in Baltimore, and I'd like to see us reach 25 years," said Shriver, who will host the event for the 24th time Dec. 9 at 1st Mariner Arena. "And if it has to stop, I want a better reason for not having it than that the banks are having an economic downturn. We still have to go out and have our fun."
Shriver is the event's major guarantor this year, a shift from the past 23 years, when one bank or another - five of them all together - sponsored it. But this year, PNC Bank declined to renew its sponsorship, and no one else has stepped forward to attach its name to the event, which benefits the Baltimore Community Foundation in partnership with children's charities.
So Shriver, with her full-speed-ahead approach, is renaming the event the BCF Tennis Challenge and will personally make up the difference for any financial shortfall it might encounter.
The event, which is being billed this year as "Giant Killers Coming to Baltimore," will be headlined by teenage sensation Melanie Oudin, 18, who upset three seeded players - including No. 4 Elena Dementieva and No. 29 and former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova - at this year's U.S. Open before losing in the quarterfinals; John Isner, who beat No. 5 Andy Roddick in five sets in the Open's third round to establish himself as a true contender; and doubles stars Mike and Bob Bryan, who have a career Grand Slam and seven major titles.
"I'm a little more on the hook because of our sponsorship situation," Shriver said. "But I think this is a great way for the foundation to get more exposure. The Baltimore Community Foundation has been our charitable partner since 1990, and I've always thought they needed a higher profile. It can only be a good thing."
Over the past 23 years, the tournament has made more than $4 million for BCF charities.
"We're very excited about it," foundation CEO Tom Wilcox said. "We've been partnering with Pam in this event for many years. The proceeds go to the Tennis Challenge Funds at BCF, and we administer grants to various children's charities. We're delighted to be in the title this year."
