Forest Hills Tennis Pro-Am to Help Children with Rare Genetic Disorder

The Mats Wilander Foundation will host a tennis pro-am at Forest Hills’ West Side Tennis Club in August that will raise money for a rare and painful genetic disorder.

The Inaugural Mats Wilander Foundation Tennis Pro-Am will run from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Aug. 28 at the tennis club, which is located at 1 Tennis Place in Forest Hills.

Casey Fitzpatrick, director of events and communications for DEBRA of America, said the event would benefit patients who suffer from Epidermolysis Bullosa, a rare tissue disease that causes blisters in the skin and mucosal membranes.

“One child out of 20,000 births have Epidermolysis Bullosa, so all the ticket sales for the tennis program will go toward our services, research for a cure and to find treatments,” Fitzpatrick said. "Children with EB are often referred to as 'Butterfly Children' because their skin is as fragile as the wings of a butterfly."

The event will include playing with Mats Wilander, who is the former first-ranked tennis player in the world as well as a member of the Tennis Hall of Fame, and a barbecue lunch with beer, wine and cocktails.

The pro-am will also include a continental breakfast, a pro meet-and-greet, hitting with former and current tennis pros, instructional clinics, competition drills and round robbins.

Attendees will also be able to watch a professional exhibition match.

Tennis players and celebrities who have been invited to the event include Leslie Allen, James Blake, Thomas Blake, Jim Courier, former Mayor David Dinkins, Will Ferrell, David Graham, Cameron Lickle, John McEnroe, Patrick McEnroe, Yannick Noah, Karel Novacek, Jared Palmer, Mikael Pernfors and Christy Turlington.

For more information, visit DEBRA’s website and click here to RSVP or purchase tickets.