career singles titles

THOMAS MUSTER ACCEPTS WILD CARD TO PRO EVENT

June 16, 2010 by WTM

By McCarton Ackerman

Former world No. 1 Thomas Muster has accepted singles and doubles wildcards into the main draws of the $125,000 challenger event in Braunschweig, Germany, taking place from June 28th-July 4th.

The 42-year-old Austrian, a winner at Roland Garros in 1995, will be playing his first professional match since officially retiring at the 1999 French Open.

Asked why he decided to take part in the tournament, he explained: “I just love to play. I love the competition. It’s not about garnering world ranking points for me.”

Since retiring, Muster has competed throughout Europe on the ATP Champions Tour and on the U.S.-based Champions Series tennis circuit. He said “wants to show my best tennis and see where it will all take me.”

Muster won over $12 million in prize money in his career and claimed 44 career singles titles.

SAFIN TO MAKE CHAMPIONS SERIES DEBUT IN RIO DE JANEIRO

February 10, 2010 by WTM

NEW YORK, February 10, 2010 – Marat Safin, the charismatic winner of two major singles titles and one of 24 men to rank No. 1 in the world, will make his debut on the Champions Series tennis circuit at the 2010 Rio Champions Cup to be played March 12-14 at the Maracanãzinho Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Safin will become the ninth former world No. 1 player to compete on the U.S.-based international tennis circuit for champion tennis players.

Safin will be joined in the e

ight-player, single-knock out event by Jim Courier, Mats Wilander, Mark Philippoussis, Cedric Pioline, Wayne Ferreira, Mikael Pernfors and Fernando Meligeni. The Rio Champions Cup will be the opening event on the 2010 Champions Series circuit and will feature $150,000 in total prize money, with the singles champion earning $60,000. Tickets can be purchased by calling 5521-3005-4023 or by visiting www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com

It is going to be a lot of fun to play in Brazil for the first time at the Rio Champions Cup and join some of the great legends in tennis, said Safin, who turned 30 on January 27. It will be an interesting change to be one of the young guys on the tour again and I look forward to playing in front of the Brazilian tennis fans.

Safin became the first Russian to win the U.S. Open in 2000 when he shocked Pete Sampras 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in the mens singles final. Safin rode the momentum of winning his first major singles title to earn the No. 1 ranking later that year and rank in the top spot for a total of nine weeks during his career. He reached the final of the Australian Open in 2002 and again in 2004, losing to Thomas Johansson and Roger Federer, respectively, but broke through to win his second major title in Australia in 2005, defeating Lleyton Hewitt in the final. Safin, who also reached the semifinals of the French Open in 2002 and at Wimbledon in 2008, won 15 career singles titles and guided Russia to Davis Cup titles in 2002 and 2006.

The Rio Champions Cup is part of the global Champions Series tennis circuit for champion tennis players age 30 and over. To be eligible to compete, players must have reached at least a major singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team. Each event features $150,000 in prize money with the tournament champion earning $60,000 and ranking points that determine the year-end No. 1. Each tournament champion earns 800 ranking points.

Jim Courier finished the 2009 season as the top-ranked player on the Champions Series, followed by Pete Sampras and Todd Martin. John McEnroe won the inaugural Rio Champions Cup in 2009, defeating Courier 6-2, 6-3 in the final.

The full 2010 Champions Series schedule of tournaments will be announced in the near future. The first tournament in the United States the Staples Champions Cup – will be held April 29-May 2 in Boston, Mass., and will feature Bjorn Borg playing in his first tournament in the U.S. in 10 years.

With Safin and Borgs commitment to play in 2010, the five-year old Champions Series features 10 former world No. 1 players competing on the circuit, joining Courier, McEnroe, Wilander, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Stefan Edberg, Thomas Muster and Patrick Rafter.

InsideOut Sports + Entertainment is a New York City-based independent producer of proprietary events and promotions founded in 2004 by former world No. 1 and Hall of Fame tennis player Jim Courier and former SFX and Clear Channel executive Jon Venison. In 2005, InsideOut launched its signature property, the Champions Series tennis circuit, a collection of tournaments featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including “Legendary Night” exhibitions, charity events, corporate outings and tennis fantasy camps such as the annual “Ultimate Fantasy Camp”. Through 2009, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment events have raised over $4 million for charity. For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Federer Is Most Googled Tennis Player: This Week in Tennis Business

December 9, 2009 by WTM

By: Justin Cohen

Roger Federer was the most searched tennis player on Google in 2009. Serena Williams was the second most searched tennis player followed by Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova. Federer also recently became the newest entry in the latest edition of Britain’s Who’s Who, a guide to prominent people in a variety of fields.
Roger Federer: The most googled tennis player
Former World No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam singles champion Amelie Mauresmo has retired from the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour. Mauresmo, who won 25 career singles titles, said that she no longer had the burning desire for competition. “It’s a bit sad, but this is the right decision,” said Mauresmo. “I was lucky enough to have an exceptional career and to experience very strong feelings on the court.”
Spain captured its second straight Davis Cup title and fourth since 2000 by defeating the Czech Republic 5-0 at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain. “We didn’t expect to win it this quickly,” said Captain Albert Costa. “The key to this team has been its unity.” On Monday, Spain’s Prime Minister honored the winning Davis Cup squad by hosting a ceremony at his residence.
According to calculations from the Davis Cup Economic Survey, the Davis Cup competition has an economic impact of $184 million.
Ryan Harrison won the USTA Australian Open wild card playoff by defeating Jesse Levine in straight sets. On the women’s side, Coco Vandeweghe defeated Christina McHale in a close three set match to earn the women’s wild card into the first Grand Slam event of the 2010 season.
International Olympic Committee executives will this week hear the ITF’s proposal to include mixed doubles at the 2012 London Olympics.
Xavier Malisse and Yanina Wickmayer have appealed their one-year doping bans to a civil court in Brussels, Belgium. A verdict is expected to be reached on January 7, 2010.
Nine of the Top 10 women are entered in the Sydney International that will be held in Australia from January 10 to 16. World No. 6 Venus Williams is the only Top 10 player not entered in the event.
Long time tennis television broadcaster Dick Enberg has been named the play-by-play television announcer for the San Diego Padres games starting in the 2010 season. Whether he will still announce tennis on television is yet to be determined.
In her unofficial comeback, Justine Henin defeated both Flavia Pennetta and Kristen Flipkens in straight sets in an exhibition event in Charleroi, Belgium. “It’s not my (best level of) tennis, for sure, but that’s what I expected,” said Henin. “But I’m physically in perfect shape, my right knee that I had the operation on. And my attitude this evening was perfect.”
According to reports, Max Mirnyi and Andy Ram will not partner together in 2010.
Caroline Wozniacki will not face any penalties for retiring from her match against Anne Kremer at the WTA tournament in Luxembourg.
Pete Sampras will face Fernando Verdasco in an opening night exhibition match at the SAP Open in San Jose, Calif., on February 8, 2010.
Anastasia Rodionova reported on her Twitter page that she has passed her Australian citizenship test.
Paul McNamee announced that he plans to run again next year for President at Tennis Australia. McNamee lost last month’s election to Geoff Pollard, who has held the position for 20 years.
Tennis in Australia ranked first with a 58 percent level of interest based on an annual survey of sports preferences. Tennis was the top sport for television viewing, third in participation and fifth in attendance.

· HEAD announced that current HEAD Penn Racquet Sports President Kevin Kempin has been appointed the CEO and President of HEAD USA.

AGASSI DEBUTS ON OUTBACK CHAMPIONS SERIES THIS WEEK

October 7, 2009 by WTM

NEW YORK, N.Y., October 6, 2009 – Andre Agassi will make his highly anticipated Outback Champions Series debut when he takes on Mikael Pernfors of Sweden Friday night in the opening round of the 2009 Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships at Surprise, Ariz.

The Cancer Treatment Centers of America Championships at Surprise runs Thursday through Sunday and will feature a field of eight champion players competing in a single knock-out format event for $150,000 in prize money and ranking points that determine the year-end No. 1 ranked player on the Outback Champions Series.

“It’s great to have an opportunity to get back on the court,” said the 39-year-old Agassi of playing on the global tennis circuit for champion tennis players age 30 and over. “That’s the best part of tennis — to be out there and hopefully make a difference in the lives of fans for a couple of hours.”

Agassi is one of only six men in the history of tennis to win all four major singles titles in a career, joining Rod Laver, Don Budge, Roy Emerson, Fred Perry and Roger Federer. He won his first major title at Wimbledon in 1992, defeating Goran Ivanisevic in a dramatic five-set final. He won his first U.S. Open title in 1994, defeating Michael Stich in the final, and his second five years later in 1999, defeating Todd Martin in the championship match. He won four Australian Open titles between 1995 and 2003, while his victory at the 1999 French Open rounded out his career Grand Slam. Agassi ranked No. 1 in the world for 101 weeks during his career. He helped the United States win the Davis Cup in 1990, 1992 and 1995 and won 60 career singles titles from 1987 until he concluded his career at the 2006 U.S. Open. In 1994, Agassi started the Andre Agassi Foundation which is dedicated to transforming public education for underserved youth. He will be the eighth former world No. 1
to compete on the Outback Champions Series, joining Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Pat Rafter, Stefan Edberg, Mats Wilander, Thomas Muster and John McEnroe.

Born, raised and still a resident of Las Vegas, Nev., Agassi has had great success playing in the Phoenix, Ariz., area, winning four of his 60 titles in nearby Scottsdale in 1993, 1994, 1998 and 2002.

“Every time I’ve been to Arizona, I’ve loved it,” said Agassi. “I grew up in the desert. As a result, I’ve always felt very comfortable there. Some of my best memories are games played right in Scottsdale.”

Agassi and Pernfors will play their quarterfinal match the evening of October 9. Mark Philippoussis and Wayne Ferreira will open up tournament play on Thursday evening, October 8 at 7 pm with the winner playing the Agassi/Pernfors winner in the semifinals. Rounding out the field in Surprise are Americans Jim Courier, Todd Martin, Aaron Krickstein and Jimmy Arias. The order of play and tournament schedule is as follows;

Thursday, October 8th, 2009
Session #1 – 7:00pm
Quarterfinal #1 – Mark Philippoussis vs. Wayne Ferreira
Followed by Quarterfinal #2 – Jim Courier vs. Aaron Krickstein

Friday, October 9th, 2009
Session #2 – 7:00pm
Quarterfinal #3 – Todd Martin vs. Jimmy Arias
Followed by Quarterfinal #4 – Andre Agassi vs. Mikael Pernfors

Saturday, October 10th, 2009
Session #3 – 12:00pm
Men’s Doubles
Followed by
Semifinal #1 – Winner of Agassi/Pernfors vs. Winner of Philippoussis/Ferreira

Session #4 – 5:00pm
Men’s Doubles
Followed by
Semifinal #2 – Winner of Martin/Arias vs. Winner of Courier/Krickstein

Sunday, October 11th, 2009
Session #5 – 12pm
Third Place Match
Followed by
Championship Match

John McEnroe won the inaugural event in 2008 in Surprise defeating Martin in the final. Ticket, travel and tournament information can be found by visiting www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.

Sampras won the opening event on the 2009 Outback Champions Series, defeating McEnroe in the final of the Champions Cup Boston in February. McEnroe won the second event of the year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, defeating Courier in the final. Sampras won his second title of the year at the Del Mar Development Champions Cup in Los Cabos, Mexico, defeating Rafter in the final. Courier won his first title of the 2009 season in April at the Cayman Islands, defeating Arias in the final. Pat Cash successfully defended his title on the grass courts at the Hall of Fame Champions Cup in Newport, R.I. in August, defeating Courier in the final. Courier won his second title of the season in Charlotte, defeating Sampras in the final.

Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Agassi, Sampras, McEnroe, Courier and others. To be eligible to compete on the Outback Champions Series, players must have reached at least a major singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team. The Outback Champions Series features seven events on its 2009 schedule with each event featuring $150,000 in prize money as well as Champions Series points that will determine the year-end Champions Rankings No. 1.

InsideOut Sports + Entertainment is a New York City-based independent producer of proprietary events and promotions founded in 2004 by former world No. 1 and Hall of Fame tennis player Jim Courier and former SFX and Clear Channel executive Jon Venison. In 2005, InsideOut launched its signature property, the Outback Champions Series, a collection of tennis events featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including “Legendary Night” exhibitions, charity events, corporate outings and tennis fantasy camps such as the annual “Ultimate Fantasy Camp”. Through 2008, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment events have raised over $4 million for charity. For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.

AGASSI TO PLAY PERNFORS IN OUTBACK CHAMPIONS SERIES DEBUT

September 23, 2009 by WTM

Andre Agassi

NEW YORK, September 22, 2009 – InsideOut Sports & Entertainment today announced that Andre Agassi will take on Mikael Pernfors of Sweden in the opening round of the 2009 Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships at Surprize, Ariz., to be played October 8-11. The match will mark Agassi’s debut match on the Outback Champions Series, the global tennis circuit for champion tennis players age 30 and over.

The Cancer Treatment Centers of America Championships at Surprise will feature a field of eight champion players competing in a single knock-out format event over four days competing for $150,000 in prize money and ranking points that determine the year-end No. 1 ranked player on the Outback Champions Series. John McEnroe won the inaugural event in 2008 in Surprise defeating Todd Martin in the final. Agassi will be the eighth former world No. 1 to compete on the Outback Champions Series joining Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Pat Rafter, Stefan Edberg, Mats Wilander, Thomas Muster and McEnroe.

In his historic career, Agassi, 39, is one of only six men in the history of tennis to win all four major singles titles in a career, joining Rod Laver, Don Budge, Roy Emerson, Fred Perry and Roger Federer. Agassi won his first major title at Wimbledon in 1992, defeating Goran Ivanisevic in a dramatic five-set final. He won his first U.S. Open title in 1994 and his second five years later in 1999. He won four Australian Open titles between 1995 and 2003, while his victory at the 1999 French Open rounded out his “career” Grand Slam. Agassi ranked No. 1 in the world for 101 weeks during his career. He helped the United States win the Davis Cup in 1990, 1992 and 1995 and won 60 career singles titles from 1987 until he concluded his career at the 2006 U.S. Open. In 1994, Agassi started the Andre Agassi Foundation which is dedicated to transforming public education for underserved youth.

Agassi and Pernfors will play their quarterfinal match the evening of October 9. Mark Philippoussis and Wayne Ferreira will open up tournament play on Thursday evening, Oct. 8 at 7 pm with the winner playing the Agassi/Pernfors winner in the semifinals. Rounding out the field in Surprise are Americans Jim Courier, Todd Martin, Aaron Krickstein and Jimmy Arias. The order of play and tournament schedule is as follows;

Thursday, October 8th, 2009
Session #1 – 7:00pm
Quarterfinal #1 – Mark Philippoussis vs. Wayne Ferreira
Followed by
Quarterfinal #2 – Jim Courier vs. Aaron Krickstein

Friday, October 9th, 2009
Session #2 – 7:00pm
Quarterfinal #3 – Todd Martin vs. Jimmy Arias
Followed by
Quarterfinal #4 – Andre Agassi vs. Mikael Pernfors

Saturday, October 10th, 2009
Session #3 – 12:00pm
Men’s Doubles
Followed by
Semifinal #1 – Winner of Agassi/Pernfors vs. Winner of Philippoussis/Ferreira

Session #4 – 5:00pm
Men’s Doubles
Followed by
Semifinal #2 – Winner of Martin/Arias vs. Winner of Courier/Krickstein

Sunday, October 11th, 2009
Session #5 – 12pm
Third Place Match
Followed by
Championship Match

Ticket, travel and tournament information can be found by visiting www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.

Sampras won the opening event on the 2009 Outback Champions Series, defeating McEnroe in the final of the Champions Cup Boston in February. McEnroe won the second event of the year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, defeating Courier in the final. Sampras won his second title of the year at the Del Mar Development Champions Cup in Los Cabos, Mexico, defeating Patrick Rafter in the final. Courier won his first title of the 2009 season in April at the Cayman Islands, defeating Jimmy Arias in the final. Pat Cash successfully defended his title on the grass courts at the Hall of Fame Champions Cup in Newport, R.I. in August, defeating Courier in the final. The Series travels next to Charlotte, September 24-27, followed by the Surprise event, October 8-11.

Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Andre Agassi, Sampras, McEnroe, Courier and others. To be eligible to compete on the Outback Champions Series, players must have reached at least a major singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team. The Outback Champions Series features seven events on its 2009 schedule with each event featuring $150,000 in prize money as well as Champions Series points that will determine the year-end Champions Rankings No. 1.

InsideOut Sports + Entertainment is a New York City-based independent producer of proprietary events and promotions founded in 2004 by former world No. 1 and Hall of Fame tennis player Jim Courier and former SFX and Clear Channel executive Jon Venison. In 2005, InsideOut launched its signature property, the Outback Champions Series, a collection of tennis events featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including “Legendary Night” exhibitions, charity events, corporate outings and tennis fantasy camps such as the annual “Ultimate Fantasy Camp”. Through 2008, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment events have raised over $4 million for charity. For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.