Serena Williams among stars to compete in Mario Tennis tournament

Serena(sərinə) Williams(ˈwilyəmz) among stars to compete(kəmˈpēt) in Mario Tennis(ˈtenəs) tournament(ˈto͝or-,ˈtərnəmənt)

Serena Williams, Naomi(niōmi) Osaka and Maria(mərēə) Sharapova are among the tennis stars who will compete in a live-streamed tournament of Mario Tennis Aces(ās).

Top tennis players will partner with celebrities(səˈlebrədē) and play as characters from the game on Nintendo Switch.

E-sports have surged(sərj) in popularity as the Covid-19 pandemic(panˈdemik) has forced the cancelation of live events.

Facebook Gaming will stream the event. The social media giant(ˈjīənt) is making a push into hosting online gaming.

With live sports on hold due to lockdown and social distancing requirements, players and leagues(lēg) have turned to online gaming as a way to keep fans engaged(enˈgājd).

The Premier(prēˈm(y)i(ə)r,ˈprēmēər,ˈprēˌmi(ə)r) League, Formula(ˈfôrmyələ) 1 and the National Basketball Association have all hosted e-sports competitions.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52481838