Dr. Phil Headlines Cast of Celebrities for November’s Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic
The world’s best known mental health professional and No. 1 daytime talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw heads a lineup of entertainment and sports celebrities who will be participating in the 2017 Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic coming up Nov. 3-5.
McGraw and Evert, the 18-time Grand Slam champion, have a common history of advocating for children and families who are impacted by drug addiction.
The “Dr. Phil” show has received 27 Emmy nominations and won five PRISM awards for the accurate depiction of drug, alcohol and tobacco abuse and addiction, and Evert’s event has raised more than $23 million since 1989 to combat drug abuse and child neglect.
McGraw, the nine-time New York Times best-selling author, is an avid tennis player and will be returning to Evert’s event for the first time since 2002.
Five individuals from the acting community are also in the fold for the 2017 fundraiser: first-time participants Robin Givens (ABC’s “Head of the Class”) and Tate Donovan (DirecTV “Damages”), as well as 2016 attendees Timothy Olyphant (FX’s “Justified”), Jamie McShane (Netflix’ “Bloodline”) and longtime Evert friend and former tennis pro Maeve Quinlan (CBS’s “The Bold and Beautiful”).
American Idol winner David Cook and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves have also confirmed their attendance. Both have played in the event multiple times.
The Pro-Celebrity event pairs celebrities and guest tennis pros for two days of tennis at the Delray Beach Tennis Center (Nov. 4-5), and the weekend also includes a Saturday evening Gala (Nov. 4) featuring dinner, dancing and live and silent auctions at the Boca Resort & Club. The event kicks off with a pair of events on Friday (Nov. 3) at the Boca Resort – a morning Pro-Am and evening cocktail party.
The first wave of tennis pros who are confirmed to play alongside Evert includes longtime friend and fellow International Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova and former French Open doubles champion, Luke Jensen.
Navratilova has been a regular at the Evert event in recent years, and Jensen is also a past participant.
Evert’s 2016 event netted $700,000 for the charity. The monies that are raised are distributed to programs funded through the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida and the Drug Abuse Foundation of Palm Beach Country.
Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic premium seats range in price from $40 to $90 for both Saturday and Sunday sessions. Club seats with seat backs are $40 per day or $70 for the weekend and courtside box seats (rows 1-8) are $90 per day or $175 for both sessions. General admission tickets are $20 per session.
