What Naomi Osaka, Nick Kyrgios, Tommy Paul & Aryna Sabalenka said about playing in iconic Madison Square Garden for Garden Cup 2025

Tennis will return to the iconic Madison Square Garden on Monday, December 8, for one of the biggest exhibition events of the season. Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka will lend fire power to the Garden Cup on the women's side, with Nick Kyrgios and Tommy Paul representing th ATP Tour.

In addition to two singles matches, there will also be a mixed doubles event taking place as part of the Garden Cup. The tournament follows the Charlotte Invitational and the Atlanta Cup, which took place last week to much fanfare in the USA.

With the Madison Square Garden chosen as the host site, the players involved have been all the more excited to participate and experience one of the most iconic stadiums in the United States' history.

Naomi Osaka, a two-time champion in New York at the US Open, was happy to return to the city, while defending US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka shared a similar sentiment about playing in December at the Garden.

“Playing at Madison Square Garden has a special meaning for a tennis player,” Naomi Osaka said. “The history there is unmatched in sports, and I am looking forward to playing Aryna in December.”

"I love playing in New York so coming back to The Garden at holiday time will be awesome,” Aryna Sabalenka said. “And playing Naomi, who just had such a great US Open, will be really special.”

Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios, who is more towards the end of his career than the others, was happy to get one more opportunity to play in front of the New York fans. Tommy Paul was just as excited to join the list of top-tier celebrities putting on a show at the Garden.

“I don’t know how many more times I will play in New York City so playing Tommy at The Garden will be outrageous. And the mixed doubles will be fun for everyone,” Kyrgios said.

“I have watched as all the great players of our sport have played at The Garden over the last fifteen years. To be part of that will be one of the memorable moments of my career and I am really looking forward to it," Tommy Paul said.

Krygios, Osaka and Sabalenka were in action at the Atlanta Cup last week as well, and were joined by Ben Shelton.

Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka have met only once on the WTA Tour

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On the WTA Tour, Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka have faced each other only once before. It came at the 2018 US Open, with Osaka sailing through with a thrilling win in three sets.

On the other hand, Nick Kyrguos has a 2-0 lead in the head-to-head against Tommy Paul, winning both of their encounters way back in 2022. In both wins, the Aussie did not lose a single set.