NEW YORK, N.Y., December 13, 2007 – InsideOut Sports & Entertainment and C &H Events, Inc. today announced that former champions Jim Courier and Wayne Ferreira will return to compete at the 2008 The Oliver Group Champions Cup, the first event on the 2008 Outback Champions Series, held March 12-16 at The Players Club & Spa at Lely Resort. The Oliver Group Champions Cup – a third-year event on the Outback Champions Series, the international tenniscircuit for champion tennis players age 30 and older – will feature eight players competing for $150,000 in prize money.
Tickets for the event are also now on sale – with special holiday discount pricing – and can purchased by calling (877) 332-TIXX (8499) or by visiting http://www.championsseriestennis.com/
Photo © Courtesy of InsideOut Sports & Entertainment
Courier won the inaugural Outback Champions Series event in Naples in 2006, defeating 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash 6-4, 7-6 (8) in the final. Ferreira won last year’s title, defeating former U.S. Davis Cup standout Aaron Krickstein 6-3, 6-3 in the final.
“Jim and Wayne are two of the most successful players ever on the Outback Champions Series,” said Jon Venison, co-founding partner of InsideOut Sports & Entertainment and the Outback Champions Series. “They have both played some of their best tennis in Naples and will both be among the favorites to win at The Players Club & Spa at Lely Resort again this year.”
“The Oliver Group Champions Cup has grown tremendously over the last two years and we are looking forward to our best Naples event to date in March,” said Venison. “We will be announcing more star players in the field in the coming weeks as well as our full 2008 Outback Champions Series schedule that will continue to highlight the rapid expansion of the Series.”
Courier and Ferreira have each won a record three Outback Champions Series events since the circuit began in 2005 – tying them with Pete Sampras. Courier won the first ever event in Houston in 2005, as well as 2006 titles in Naples and Charlotte. Ferreira posted a win in Houston in 2006 as well as tournament victories in Naples and Dallas in 2007.
Courier, a two-time French and Australian Open champion, was ranked No. 1 in the world for 58 weeks and helped the United States to Davis Cup titles in 1992 and 1995. Ferreira was a silver medalist in doubles for South Africa at the 1992 Olympic Games and was a two-time semifinalist at the Australian Open – 11 years apart (1992 and 2003). Ferreira also played a record 56
consecutive Grand Slam tournaments from 1991 to 2004.
All Champions Series events feature eight-man round-robin match formats with the winner of each four-player division meeting in the title match while second place finishers in each division meet in the third-place match. Each Outback Champions Series event features $150,000 in prize money with an undefeated winner taking home $54,000 as well as Stanford Champions Rankings points that will contribute to determine the year-end champion and a $100,000 bonus.
Photo © Courtesy of InsideOut Sports & Entertainment
Todd Martin, a singles finalist at the 1994 Australian Open and the 1999 US Open, finished 2007 as the No. 1 ranked player in the Stanford Champions Rankings that determine the year-end champion on the Outback Champions Series. Martin was followed at No. 2 by two-time French and Australian Open champion Jim Courier, No. 1 on the 2006 Stanford Champions Rankings, and 14-time Grand Slam tournament champion Pete Sampras at No. 3.
Founded in 2005, the 2007 Outback Champions Series featured seven events where champion tennis players continue to exercise their competitive instincts in tournament formats that feature prize money and Stanford Champions Series ranking points that determine a year-end No. 1 player. To be eligible to compete on the Outback Champions Series, players must have either; reached a Grand Slam singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team. Each event also has the right to choose a “wild card” entrant.
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 one-night “Legendary Night” exhibitions as well as charity events and tennis fantasy camps, including the annual Ultimate Fantasy Camp.
For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com
C & H Events, Inc. is a full-service event management and marketing company based in Boca Raton, Fla. Among the tennis events C & H Events manages in addition to The Oliver Group Champions Cup is Swingtime Benefiting the Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation, Mardy’s Tennis and Jake’s Music Fest to benefit the Mardy Fish Foundation, the Bank of the West Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic and Couples Resorts Tennis Fantasy Camp. Please visit http://www.chevents.com/ for further details about C & H Events.
