World No. 1 Novak Djokovic To Play Saturday, March 24 Evening Session

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MIAMI, Fla. (www.sonyericssonopen.com) – World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will begin his quest to defend his 2011 Sony Ericsson Open title on Saturday, March 24 (Session 10) at 8:00 p.m. Djokovic’s opponent, along with the rest of the men’s field, will be determined on Monday, March 19 when the tournament draw is announced.

The two-time Sony Ericsson Open champ (2011, 2007) has become a fan favorite in Miami having played in some of the tournament’s most thrilling matches en route to capturing the Butch Buchholz Championship Trophy.

Djokovic looks to join the company of Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, by becoming the third man in tournament history to win at least three titles; and the first, since Roger Federer (2006, 2005), to record back-to-back wins at the Sony Ericsson Open.

Tickets to the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open are on sale now and can be purchased by phone (305-442-3367) or via internet at www.sonyericssonopen.com. An electrifying two weeks of tennis conclude with the women’s final on Saturday, March 31 and the men’s final on Sunday, April 1.

Djokovic, started the year off strong, claiming his third Australian Open title. The fun-loving Serbian star, plans to build on his remarkable 2011 campaign which saw him collect three of the four Grand Slams including, the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

The five-time Grand Slam champion became World No. 1 on July 4, 2011 after his win at Wimbledon. Earlier this year, Djokovic received the prestigious Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award in London beating out some of the world’s best in their respective sport including Usain Bolt (Track and Field), Dirk Nowitzki (Basketball), Sebastian Vettel (Motor Racing), Lionel Messi (Soccer) and Cadel Evans (Cycling).

Djokovic will face a field featuring 10-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal; 16-time Grand Slam champion and two-time Sony Ericsson Open winner Roger Federer; Grand Slam champ and two-time Sony Ericsson Open winner Andy Roddick; and 2009 Sony Ericsson Open champion Andy Murray.

Click Here to Purchase Tickets for March 24 Evening Session

ABOUT THE SONY ERICSSON OPEN: The 2012 Sony Ericsson Open will be played March 19-April 1 at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami. The two-week combined event, founded by Butch Buchholz in 1985, is owned and operated by IMG. The Sony Ericsson Open is one of nine ATP Masters 1000 Series events on the ATP calendar, a Premier Mandatory event on the WTA calendar, and features the top men's and women's tennis players in the world. In 2011 Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal for his second Sony Ericsson Open title, while Victoria Azarenka knocked off Maria Sharapova to capture her second title in Miami. For ticket information, call (305) 442-3367 or visit the website at www.SonyEricssonOpen.com.

ABOUT SONY ERICSSON: Sony Ericsson is a 50:50 joint venture between Sony Corporation (“Sony”) and Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (“Ericsson”). In October 2011 it was announced by Sony and Ericsson that Sony will acquire Ericsson’s stake in the company and that Sony Ericsson will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony. The transaction is expected to close in January 2012 and is subject to regulatory approvals. Over the years Sony Ericsson has brought together the best communication technologies with superior entertainment user experiences to create its Xperia™ line of the ‘most entertaining smartphones’ in the mobile handset industry. With its global corporate functions in London, Sony Ericsson has sales and marketing operations in all major regions of the world, as well as manufacturing in China, and product development sites in China, Japan, Sweden and Silicon Valley, California. For more information, please visit: www.sonyericsson.com/press.

ABOUT IMG: IMG Worldwide is a global sports, entertainment and media business, with nearly 3,000 employees operating in 30 countries around the globe. IMG’s areas of expertise are diverse and wide ranging:  IMG College; IMG’s Joint Ventures in China, Brazil and India; IMG Media; IMG Events and Federations; IMG Fashion; IMG Models; IMG Art+Commerce; IMG Clients; IMG Academies; IMG Consulting and IMG Licensing.  More information is available at www.imgworld.com.