Return of Davis Cup To California March 4 - 6 Builds on USTA-AEG Partnership 

SEVILLE, Spain, December 2, 2004 - The USTA today announced The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., as the site for the 2005 United States vs. Croatia Davis Cup by BNP Paribas first round, March 4-6.  Tickets for the three-day, best-of-five match series will go on sale to the general public in January and can be purchased by calling (888) 484-USTA.  The 2005 first round will mark the first time since 2000 that Davis Cup will be played in California.

This weekend, the U.S. Davis Cup Team competes in the 2004 Davis Cup Final against Spain before an expected 26,000 fans in Seville, a record crowd for a sanctioned tennis event.  Representing the United States will be 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick, 2004 Olympic silver medallist Mardy Fish and 2003 French Open doubles champions Bob and Mike Bryan.

\"We're thrilled to bring the passion and excitement of Davis Cup to The Home Depot Center, one of the nation's finest sports facilities,\" said Arlen Kantarian, Chief Executive, Pro Tennis, USTA.  \"We look forward to adding to southern California's rich history of tennis and kick-off our 2005 Davis Cup campaign with a loud, energetic and patriotic crowd in Carson.\"

The partnership to bring the Davis Cup first round to The Home Depot Center builds upon the growing USTA-AEG partnership that launched in 2002.  The Home Depot Center now hosts the USTA's USA Tennis High Performance Training Center, as well as the JPMorgan Chase Open -- a US Open Series event -- of which the USTA is a partner.

\"The outdoor hard courts at this state-of-the-art tennis stadium will provide our players the best venue against a tough first round opponent,\" said McEnroe.  \"We will be playing before some of the most knowledgeable tennis fans - and sports fans - in the world.\"

\"Playing a part in bringing Davis Cup to The Home Depot Center in Carson along with our ongoing and active partnership with the USTA  reinforces our commitment to world-class tennis,\" said Timothy J. Leiweke, President and CEO, AEG.  \"With the tremendous number of tennis fans in southern California, we are confident of providing a true 'home court advantage' for the U.S. team when Davis Cup is played for the first time at The Home Depot Center.\"

Founded in 1900, Davis Cup is the world's largest annual international team competition with 137 teams competing in 2004.  The U.S. is one of 16 nations that will compete for the Davis Cup title in 2005 as part of the Davis Cup World Group.

Davis Cup was last played in California in 2000, when the United States defeated the Czech Republic, 3-2, at The Forum in Los Angeles.  California has hosted Davis Cup on 16 previous occasions dating back to 1937.

This will be the second meeting between the United States and Croatia in Davis Cup play. Croatia defeated the United States, 4-1, in its only previous meeting in the first round of the 2003 competition in Zagreb.  Croatia is led by 2004 Wimbledon semifinalist Mario Ancic, Ivo Karlovic, and Ivan Ljubicic.

The winner of the U.S. vs. Croatia first round will advance to the 2005 Davis Cup quarterfinal July 15-17 to face the winner of the Romania vs. Belarus first round match.

AIG is the official sponsor of the U.S. Davis Cup Team.  Wilson is the official ball of the U.S. Davis Cup team.

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AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world.  AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation, owns or controls a collection of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center, The Home Depot Center, HealthSouth Training Center, NOKIA live at Grand Prairie and Kodak Theater (as operator); sports franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), the Manchester Monarchs (AHL), Reading Royals (ECHL), five MLS franchises, five hockey franchises operated in Europe and management of shares of the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA) owned by Philip Anschutz; AEG Marketing, a sponsorship, sales, naming rights and consulting company; AEG Merchandising, a multi-faceted merchandising company; AEG Creative, a full-service marketing and advertising agency and AEG LIVE, a collection of companies devoted to all aspects of live entertainment.

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S.  It owns and operates the US Open, the largest annually attended sporting event in the world and, in 2004, launched the US Open Series which links 10 summer hard court tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns the 96 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games.  A not-for-profit organization with more than 675,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, from the grass roots to the professional levels.  For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com.