Tennis legends come to town to compete for share of $1 million prize pool during HSBC Tennis Cup
By Tyler Sullivan
Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier. (Photo Courtesy of Champions Series)
Rivalries will be renewed as Wimbledon’s four enfant terribles Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, Pete Sampras and Jim Courier are reunited this Friday to compete for a $1 million prize pool at the HSBC Tennis Cup, held at The Verizon Center.
If you have an affinity for tennis and can afford a contribution of $1,500, these four tennis legends invite you to play with them one-on-one in their pre-match clinic, before the matches officially begin at 6:30 pm. At 5:30 pm, there will also be a meet and greet and Q&A sessions with the players.
The cup will feature twelve one-night tournaments, each night in a different city, pairing contenders into one-set semi-finals and finishing with an eight-game pro-set champion match and competition for the title.
Also featuring fellow Grand Slam champions Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg and Mats Wilander; Agassi, Chang, Sampras and Courier began their five-week tour Thursday in Fort Lauderdale and will end the tour in Buffalo on October 22.
Produced by Larry Magid, the 2011 Champions Series is a circuit specific to champion tennis players over the age of 30.
“We are thrilled to reunite eight legends who have won an astonishing 60 Grand Slam singles titles among them,” said Jon Venison, a former SFX executive who together with Courier launched the series and their firm, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment. “This is the greatest generation of champions ever assembled and an unprecedented opportunity for sports fans around the U.S. to reconnect with them.”
The night’s top three finishers are to share in the $1 million prize pool, making the stakes very high.
“Competing against my friends and foes in front of fans across the country is going to get my adrenaline pumping,” Courier said. “The player line-up and format of the circuit is ideal for me and my peers to quench our competitive thirst while showcasing tennis to many cities that lack pro tennis events….May the best man win.”
A full schedule of events, tickets and information is available HERE. Tickets for this cup, on September 23 in the district, are available HERE, the Verizon Center Box Office, and at (202) 661-5061.
Andre Agassi still out there swinging the racket. (Photo Courtesy of Champions Series)
