Issue link: http://itf.uberflip.com/i/315708
ITFWORLD SPRING 2014 5 www.itftennis.com F or the second annual World Tennis Day, 94 nations got fully behind the ITF's initiative to promote tennis and increase participation in the sport. Seventy-nine countries staged speciļ¬c activities and events, compared with the 58 nations who were involved in the inaugural World Tennis Day in 2013. There were Showdown events in Hong Kong, London and New York, produced by StarGames and featuring current and former professionals. In the unusual surroundings of the Hong Kong Velodrome, Australian Open champion Li Na was beaten by Sam Stosur and Lleyton Hewitt made it a double Aussie celebration by defeating Tomas Berdych. At London's Earls Court, 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash defeated old nemesis Ivan Lendl, and Andre Agassi beat Pete Sampras as the multiple Grand Slam winners renewed their rivalry. Wheelchair players Gordon Reid and Marc McCarroll also played out a 10-point match tiebreak in front of the 5,000-strong crowd. In New York, Madison Square Garden hosted a doubles clash between Bob and Mike Bryan and John and Patrick McEnroe, with the Bryans winning, before world No. 2 Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray in the showcase singles match. A day earlier, Murray's mother and Great Britain's Fed Cup captain Judy had helped set the Guinness World Record for the 'Largest Tennis Lesson' in celebration of World Tennis Day. The historic occasion took place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, with 406 children from local youth organisations in the New York area involved. THE WORLD Playing next to Auckland's Harbour Bridge in New Zealand Todd Woodbridge launched activities at Melbourne Park Free lessons in Bucharest, Romania Former Roland Garros champion Andres Gomez led events at the Mitad del Mundo in Ecuador Getting involved in Guyana