New York—The NetJets showdown between Pete Sampras and Roger Federer on March 10 was an unqualified success. To illustrate the point, consider that even the event's public relations crew couldn't track down the last time tennis sold out Madison Square Garden.

Tennis at the Garden was a fixture for years as the top eight women battled for the season-ending championship crowns—first under the Virginia Slims banner and finally, after a couple of others, under the tour's current Sony Ericsson name. Each year the crowds dwindled until the tournament eventually moved on.

It seemed the city had said, "The only tennis to make it in this town is the U.S. Open." Perhaps New Yorkers didn't "get" tennis like fans in other cities and countries, or that the venue or winter timing just wasn't right.

Whatever the questions or conclusions then, all were destroyed one week ago as 19,690 New Yorkers packed every seat and luxury suite in the Garden. And, by the sounds and actions of their cheers, these were not just your typical tennis fans: They jumped to their feet in exultation, they hollered encouraging words, they danced and sang, they scarfed down hotdogs and beer. The event drew all types—business people, commuters, singles, families, and celebrities. All revered Sampras and Federer as among the greatest athletes to hit the planet.

Federer—who edged out Sampras by a score of 6-3, 6-7 (7-4), 7-6 (8-6) but only one point overall—and Sampras were joined on court by Roy Emerson to round out the top three men's champions of all time. Federer and Emerson each own 12 Grand Slam titles, while Sampras claims 14. But they weren't the only tennis royalty on hand: Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, and Ivan Lendl, who was a promoter of the event, also attended.

Pop culture icons Tiger Woods, Donald Trump, Star Jones, Rupert Murdoch and many others also could be seen in the first few rows around the blue court.

The anticipation of the match, the players themselves, and the audience combined for an energized atmosphere that could be rivaled only by Davis Cup competition or one of those night matches at the U.S. Open that extends into the wee morning hours.

"I think this is an indication of how hungry New Yorkers are for tennis," USTA CEO of Professional Tennis Arlen Kantarian told me after the post-match press conference. "They only get it two weeks a year at the U.S. Open, which was sold out for the first time ever with more than 715,000 fans coming out.

"I think we're seeing the early stages of a resurgence in the sport. You know, 25 million people played in 2007. It hasn't been that high in 20 years. Nineteen thousand people coming out on a Monday night for an exhibition? I think it's great for the sport."

It was a day that tennis spoke to the masses—whether they were at the Garden, at home watching Tennis Channel, online catching the webcast at USTA.com, or watching Tennis Channel's broadcast at 12 movie theaters across the country.

The event came off with a hitch.

"I think we got a bit lucky. None of us realized how much the New York community missed tennis," said J. Wayne Richmond, a tennis industry stalwart who helped organize and promote the event. "This is an expensive place to do an event. We had 90 days to put this together and no sponsor."

The promoters believed in the concept, took a risk, and then NetJets came on a head sponsor. The only consumer promotion was a full-page ad in The New York Times and an email blast to the USTA database. Just as fans jumped at the chance to be at the Garden on March 10, so did the business community. Here's the final list of event sponsors:
NetJets (title sponsor)
Marquis Jet Card (presenting sponsor)
Men's Vogue (presenting sponsor)
StarGames (event producer)
Mymetics' Dream Vaccines Foundation
SteubenGlass
Jumeirah Essex House
TVU Networks
StarGames
MSG+Plus
Rolex
Borgata Atlantic City
BNP Paribas

Mason's Tennis on East 54th Street was the exclusive retailer for the event, and the official DVD is being sold at Showdown DVD.com.

That so many sponsors that are new to tennis supported this exhibition is a sign that tennis is making headway as a serious marketing platform to reach consumers. Translation: Tennis is big league.

Now, tennis has been "big league" always to insiders, but the momentum of star power and money coming into the sport and the money being spent on increasing participation is unmatched in the sport's history. As Kantarian said, 25 million people played tennis in 2007. Add to that: Tennis is the only tradition sport to grow since 2000. Participation has increased more than 13 percent due to industry initiatives like Tennis Welcome Centers and Cardio Tennis and the ability of pro players to transcend the sport into pop culture.

As Lendl put it: "The winner tonight is tennis."