Isner, Roddick Among Attendees At Dirk Nowitzki Charity Tennis Event

A cast of ATP World Tour stars were on hand for The Dirk Nowitzki Pro Celebrity Tennis Classic on Sunday. Former singles No. 1 Andy Roddick, former doubles No. 1 Mark Knowles and American John Isner joined fellow players Benjamin Becker and Mitchell Krueger in support of NBA star Nowitzki’s foundation.

“I have so much respect for Dirk,” Roddick said. “Obviously, he’s one of the greatest NBA players of all time, but to see how he’s given back to the community that’s supported him for so long and changed the trajectory of kids’ lives, I have nothing but respect.

“A lot of times you come to these events and there’s a lot of amateurs, but everyone here is saying they’ve played in college. It’s great. You’re playing competitively with this format and everyone is trying to have a good time. Dirk serves at 121 mph. It’s a legit pro-level serve.”

Held on the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, the event raised money to help provide services for education, health and well-being for children around the world. Also in attendance were actors Ben Stiller and Boris Kodjoe, as well as former ATP pro David Martin and coach Philip Farmer.

“It was a surreal experience for me since I’ve never done one of these before,” Stiller told ATPWorldTour. “It was really fun, even though I’m the worst player here. To be on the other end of a Roddick and Isner serve was intense. You always think to yourself that you can do it, but to actually experience it is something else.” 

“It’s very important to be here,” said Isner. “Everyone respects Dirk so much and that’s why he’s gotten so many pretty cool people to come out and support his foundation. The event is going very well today and we’re all having a good time. The competition is great.”

“It was a blast,” said Nowitzki. “We raised a lot of money. It was an incredible experience for everybody. It’s an honour for me to have these guys come out. Tennis is something I’ve loved since I was a child.”

A big tennis fan, Nowitzki is a familiar face on the ATP World Tour and has visited his local ATP Challenger Tour events in Irving and Dallas in recent years, often supporting countryman Benjamin Becker.

“He can hit the ball for sure and has a very big serve,” Becker added. “It’s a fun event for a great cause. I’m glad I can contribute a bit. It’s nice to see guys like Andy and John taking time out of their schedule too.”