Germany's Ana Lena Groenefeld, winner of the 2009 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles crown alongside Mark Knowles. Groenfeld and Knowles will play this Saturday, December 5th for the public exhibition against the doubles team of Martin Damm and Olga Savchuk. Photo: Getty Images

Nassau, Bahamas - The first of the participants in the Invitational are due to arrive in Nassau this week. 

Anna-Lena Groenefeld is set to arrive in Nassau, Monday November 30th to play in the Mark Knowles Celebrity Tennis Invitational.  Anna-Lena partnered with Mark to win the Wimbledon Mixed Doubles Championships earlier this year and it will be a great opportunity for The Bahamas to show their gratitude to her and welcome her to Mark’s home country on her first visit to our shores. 

Mark and Anna-Lena will take on the doubles team of Martin Damm and Olga Savchuk as part of the exhibition slated to start at 3 p.m. on Saturday, December 5th at the National Tennis Centre, Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre.

German born Anna-Lena has an impressive career profile with a current Singles ranking #63 and Doubles ranking #14.  

She had an outstanding junior career:  In 2002 she was the Singles Champion of both the Belgium and Frankfurt International Championships and a finalist at the Orange Bowl. In July 2003, she won the Apple and Eve Newsday Long Island Classic, held i n Woodbury, New York , defeating  Bethanie Mattek in the final. She is an accomplished doubles player winning the French Open title and reaching the finals at Wimbledon . As a result of her tennis successes in 2003, Grönefeld had achieved the Junior World ranking of #1 in singles and doubles

Groenfeld was the winner of the 2009 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles crown alongside Mark Knowles  She has singles wins over Daniela Hantuchova, Alize Cornet and with doubles partner, Patty Snyder, has won numerous ladies doubles titles. 

American Jared Palmer, former #1 Doubles player and Wimbledon Doubles champion arrives in Nassau this week to play in the Mark Knowles Celebrity Tennis Invitational. Come out and view the action at the public exhibition this Saturday, December 5th at the National Tennis Centre. Photo: TennisClassic.org

Also arriving Monday, November 30th is former #1 Doubles player and Wimbledon Doubles champion, Jared Palmer of the U.S.A.  Jared has some very impressive credentials and results:     

Winner of the 1995 Australian Open Mens Doubles Championships; Winner of the 2001 Wimbledon Mens Doubles Championships; Winner of over 28 ATP & World Doubles titles & Finalist in 23; Ranked No. 1 in Doubles on ATP Tour 1994; Australian Doubles Champion in 1995;  Wimbledon Doubles Champion in 2001 and finalist in 1999; U.S. Open Doubles Champion 2001 and finalist in 1999; Highest Singles ranking on ATP 35 in 1994; ATP Singles title in 1994; Played on Stanford University Tennis Team 1989-91; 1989 captured NCAA singles title as a Sophomore and earned All-American honors and finished 13 in collegiate rankings; Has a 3-4 career Davis Cup record (2-4 in doubles); and is a Member of the 2000-1 Player Council

Admission: Adults $10 and Children Free.

Tickets are NOW ON SALE at:

The National Tennis Centre

The Atlantis Tennis Centre

Village Squash Club

Lyford Cay School

H. G. Christie

Once again, the proceeds of the event will go to aid local children’s charities such as The Cancer Society, the Sassoon (Bahamas) Foundation for Pediatric Heart Care, The Special Olympics, The Association for the Physically Disabled, The Chance Foundation and the Mark Knowles Tennis Scholarship Fund.  To date over $400,000 has been distributed to various charities.  The aim this year is to increase total donations to $500,000.

The major sponsors to date include: Atlantis Resort & Casino, Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch Private Bank & Trust;   Pictet Bank & Trust Ltd; Serenity Point, Abaco; The Balmoral; The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism; American Airlines;   The Bank of the Bahamas; Everkey Global Fund;   Templeton Global Advisors; Odyssey Aviation; H3O; TheBahamasWeekly.com; and The Ministry of Youth Sports & Culture.

About the Mark Knowles Celebrity Tennis Invitational: The Mark Knowles Celebrity Tennis Invitational is a Charity Event hosted by Mark. It was first held in 2001. The event is held in December at the National Tennis Centre in Nassau (New Providence), Bahamas. The purpose of the event is to raise money for various charities, such as The Sassoon Pediatric Heart Foundation, The Cancer Society, The Association of the Physically Disabled, The Childrens Emergency Hospital, The Boy Scouts of Bahamas, The Special Olympics and scholarships for promising junior tennis players.  Visit: www.markknowlestennis.com