Pete Sampras Joins The BlackRock Tour of Champions

Pete Sampras has given a huge boost to the BlackRock Tour of Champions by announcing that he is to join the circuit of former World No.1’s, Grand Slam finalists and Davis cup winners in 2008.
Sampras, who won seven Wimbledon titles and ended six successive years as the World No.1, will play two tournaments in his first year – the Grand Champions Brasil in Sao Paulo next month (21-24 May), and the BlackRock Masters Tennis event (2-7 December) at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England.
The trip to Sao Paulo will be the first time he has visited South America, and the BlackRock Masters Tennis event will mark his first journey to England since his last Wimbledon appearance in 2002. In an exclusive video interview on the BlackRock Tour of Champions website, Bjorn Borg welcomes Sampras to the Tour, and Sampras says:
“It’s still fun for me to compete, it’s still a challenge and I still want to hold that trophy up at the end. Today, or 10 years from now, if I’m on the tennis court, I’ll still want to play well and win. When you’re out there, even though it’s now a different sort of arena, you want to win.”
To see the full interviews, click here: http://www.30love.net/#openVideo-YmxhY2tyb2NrX3RvdXJfb2ZfY2hhbXBpb25zLjEyMDgyNzE2NjMzNzM=
Nuala Walsh, Head of International Marketing at BlackRock commented:
“We are delighted that Pete Sampras will be joining the BlackRockTour of Champions. The Tour gives tennis fans a wonderful opportunity to see some of the world’s greatest tennis legends in action again. With tournaments taking place across so many countries in which BlackRock operates, this is also a great way for us to entertain our clients globally.”
Sampras Finds Perfect Balance
Sampras, 36, retired from the ATP circuit in glorious fashion in 2002, winning the US Open, his 14th and final Grand Slam title. It set a record that still stands today. Upon retirement, the American took a step away from the sport.
“Tennis had been such a big focus in my life and for a while it was great to be away from the sport and I loved it,” he said.
“I was playing golf and having fun, but after two or three years I started to get a little bored and a little bit restless. There’s no book on retirement, especially at 31 years old. Initially you love it but after a while you need something to do. I have two kids – a five-year-old, Christian, and a 2-year-old, Ryan, and it has been a lot of fun to see them grow and spend time with them. But, at the same time I feel like a man should work, maybe I’m a little old-fashioned. It took me a while to get to the realisation that I would like to play again and get back into the sport. When I was 26, I never thought I would want to play Champions tennis. But, as time goes on, when you’re playing golf, taking some trips here and there and maybe putting on a little bit of weight, you just kind of feel a little bit unfulfilled as a man. That’s how I felt.”
It didn’t take long for Sampras to re-discover his fitness, form and desire to play and he is now looking forward to the unique blend of fun and competition to be found on the BlackRock Tour of Champions.
“It’s definitely going to be a lot more relaxed,” said Sampras.
“I used to be so focussed that I would just see the hotel and the courts and that was it. I had the feeling that I was expected to win and then there was all the pressure that I put on myself. Today, I still want to play well and still want to win but if I don’t it’s not the end of the world. It’s a totally different feel. I was pretty serious when I played but now I’m a little more relaxed. At the same time, people do want to see competitive tennis, they want to see the real deal. The crowd still want to see me serve and volley the way I used to and pull off my shots, but with a slightly lighter atmosphere.”
Sao Paulo and London
Having never previously been to South America, Sampras is excited at the prospect of visiting Sao Paulo.
“I’ve heard a lot of good things about Sao Paolo but I’ve never been there, so I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
“It’s a different culture and I was just thinking the other day that I used to go somewhere and not even care about the city or its history but now I’ll go there and maybe have a few days off to see some sights, something I wouldn’t have done back then. I’m still there to win though, and I’ll be focussed to put on a good show.
Sampras hasn’t been to the United Kingdom since his disappointing last Wimbledon in 2002 when he lost to George Bastl in the second round. The chance to go back and play at the Royal Albert Hall is something he couldn’t resist, particularly after sampling the venue for the first time almost 20 years ago in the World Championship Doubles.
“I remember it being a great arena,” he said.
“You could hear the glasses during the points with all the people drinking champagne, and everyone in their tuxedos. They really live it up there, so I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t been back to London since my last Wimbledon, which was a bit of a nightmare. I hear a lot of good things about the event in London and the stadium and the exposure it brings. So I’m excited and pretty pumped up about it. I hear the people there really support it and so I’m excited to go back and play a little tennis for them.”
The next event on the BlackRock Tour of Champions is the Seat Champions Cup which takes place in Barcelona from Thursday until Sunday. The Tour will then move onto the Foro Italico in Rome over the weekend of the 10th and 11th May, and then the BlackRock Tennis Classic at the Rothenbaum Club in Hamburg, 14-18 May.
The Tour opened in Belfast in February with Anders Jarryd successfully defending his title.
The BlackRock Tour of Champions Calendar 2008
Belfast, Northern Ireland – February 21-24 (Tennis Legends)
Champion: Anders Jarryd; Runner-up: Mikael Pernfors
Barcelona, Spain – April 24-27 (Champions Cup ’08)
Rome, Italy – May 10-11
Hamburg, Germany – May 14-17 (BlackRock Tennis Classic)
Sao Paulo, Brazil – May 21-24 (Grand Champions Brasil)
Istanbul, Turkey – July 17-20
Graz, Austria – July 29-August 2 (s Tennis Masters)
Algarve, Portugal – August 5-8 (Vale do Lobo Grand Champions CGD)
Paris, France – September 18-21 (5e Trophée Jean-Luc Lagardère)
Luxembourg, Luxembourg – September 25-28
Eindhoven, Netherlands – October 2-5 (AFAS Tennis Classics)
Budapest, Hungary – October 9-12
Frankfurt, Germany – November 13-16 (klarmobil.de Champions Trophy)
Brussels, Belgium – November 20-23
London, UK – December 2-7 (BlackRock Masters Tennis)
SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS 2008 TOUR OF CHAMPIONS RANKINGS
POS. PLAYER PTS
1. Anders Jarryd 400
2. Mikael Pernfors 250
3. Chris Wilkinson (WC) 200
4. Jeremy Bates (WC) 125
5. John McEnroe 80
6. Pat Cash 80
7. Bjorn Borg 60
8. Henri Leconte 60
WC denotes Wild Card.
OTHER INFO
BlackRock is a premier provider of global investment management, riskmanagement and advisory services to clients around the world. The rebrand from the Merrill Lynch Tour of Champions to the new BlackRock Tour of Champions,
stemmed from the merger between BlackRock and Merrill Lynch Investment Managers on the 29th September 2006. This merger united the predominantly US fixed income institutional heritage of BlackRock with that of Merrill Lynch
Investment Managers’ award-winning global retail equity franchise.
BlackRock is one of the world’s largest publicly traded investment management firms. At December 31, 2007, BlackRock’s assets under management (AUM) was US$1.357 trillion. The firm manages assets on behalf of institutions and individuals worldwide through a variety of equity, fixed income, cash management and alternative investment products. In addition, a growing number of institutional investors use BlackRock Solutions(r) investment system, risk management and financial advisory services. Headquartered in New York City, as of December 31, 2007, the firm has approximately 5,500 employees in 19 countries and a major presence in key global markets, including the U.S., Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. For additional information, please visit the Company’s website at www.blackrock.com.
South Africa’s international flagship airline and the continent’s most awarded carrier, South African Airways is the official airline of the BlackRock Tour of Champions. Its modern fleet features a comfortable Economy Class cabin recently reconfigured for extra legroom and a Premium Business Class cabin featuring the airline’s award-winning, lie-flat seat. Complimentary South African wines, inspired cuisine and personal on-demand entertainment for all travellers make the trip to Africa fly by. Built on a venerable 72-year history of bringing the world to Africa and taking Africa to the world, the airline’s network is unsurpassed on the continent – connecting travellers to more than 20 destinations within South Africa and more than 20 cities across Africa. As a recent member to the worldwide Star Alliance, South African Airways is now able to offer its customers 852 destinations in 152 countries and more than 15,500 flights daily.
For the Latest News, Features and Updates from the BlackRock Tour of Champions: www.blackrocktourofchampions.com and for further information:
www.blackrockinternational.com/tourofchampions