NEW YORK, N.Y., July 7, 2008 – InsideOut Sports & Entertainment today announced that Mark Philippoussis, the Australian st
andout who lost to Roger Federer in the 2003 Wimbledon final, will start another comeback to professional tennis at The Championships at The Palisades, September 24-28 in Charlotte, N.C. – the fifth of eight events on the Outback Champions Series, the international professional tennis circuit for men 30-and-over.
Joining Philippoussis in the eight-player field will be Jim Courier, the former world No. 1 and a Wimbledon finalist in 1993, Todd Martin, the former world No. 4 and a Wimbledon semifinalist in 1994 and 1996, and Wayne Ferreira, a 1992 Olympic silver medalist. The remaining four players in the field will be announced at a later date.
Tickets for the event are available now and can be purchased by calling 877-332-TIXX. Ticket prices start at $15. Full ticket information can be found at http://www.championsseriestennis.com/
Philippoussis, 31, will be attempting another return to competitive tennis starting in Charlotte, with the hopes of again playing top-level tennis on the ATP Tour. Last fall, Philippoussis returned from his fourth knee surgery, and played in the Outback Champions Series event in Dallas, losing to John McEnroe in the fourth-place match. Philippoussis then re-injured his leg competing in the Australian Open wild card tournament in December, forcing him to undergo another surgery. The native of Melbourne, Australia, Philippoussis achieved a career-high ranking of No. 8 in 1999 and won 11 career ATP singles titles. He reached the final of the U.S. Open in 1998, losing to countryman Patrick Rafter. He also reached the final at Wimbledon in 2003, where he lost to Federer in straight sets – Federer’s first Wimbledon title and first major singles title.
Courier, 37, was a Wimbledon singles finalist in 1993, where he lost to Pete Sampras in Sampras’ first Wimbledon final. Courier’s journey into the ultimate match at Wimbledon earned him the distinction of being one of 15 men in the history of tennis to play in all four major singles finals. Courier won the French Open in 1991 and 1992, the Australian Open in 1992 and 1993 and reached the singles final at the U.S. Open in 1991. An owner of 23 career singles titles, Courier helped the United States to Davis Cup titles in 1992 and 1995. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005. He currently is ranked No. 1 in the Stanford Champions Rankings on the Outback Champions Series and won the title in March in the Cayman Islands. He won the inaugural title in Charlotte in 2006.
Martin, 37, was a two-time Wimbledon semifinalist – in 1994 losing to Sampras and 1996 losing to MaliVai Washington. He reached two major finals in his career, losing in the 1994 Australian Open final to Sampras and the 1999 U.S. Open final to Andre Agassi. He won eight ATP singles titles in his career, and helped the United States to the Davis Cup title in 1995. Martin was a singles finalist in Charlotte the last two years – losing in 2006 to Courier and falling to Sampras in last year’s final. Martin was the 2007 year-end No. 1 in the Stanford Champions Rankings and is currently ranked
No. 4.
Ferreira, 36, is best known for winning the silver medal in doubles at the 1992 Olympic Games and as a two-time Australian Open semifinalist. His record for most consecutive major tournaments played during a career was broken this year at Wimbledon when Ai Sugiyama of Japan played in her 57th consecutive major tournament. Ferreira, currently ranked No. 3 in the Stanford Champions Rankings, has won three career titles on the Outback Champions Series.
Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jim 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 Championship Series features eight events on its 2008 schedule, with its next event being the International Tennis Hall of Fame Champions Cup in Newport, R.I., August 13-17. Each event features an eight-man round-robin match format 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 event features $150,000 in prize money with an undefeated winner taking home $54,000 as well as Outback Champions Series ranking points that will determine the year-end champion. Beginning in 2008, the year-end champion will receive a $100,000 bonus courtesy of Stanford Financial Group, the official rankings sponsor of the Outback Champions Series. Through the first three events in 2008, McEnroe and Courier are tied for the No. 1 position with 1600 points each. Wayne Ferreira is in third position with 950 points, followed by Aaron Krickstein and Todd Martin in fourth place with 900 points each.
The 2008 Outback Champions Series kicked off March 12-16 in Naples, Fla.., at The Oliver Group Champions Cup where Martin defeated McEnroe in the final. Courier won the second event of the season at The Residences at The Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman Legends Championships April 16-20, defeating Ferreira in the final, while McEnroe won his first career Outback Champions Series event in Boston April 30- May 4, defeating Krickstein in the final. The next four events on the 2008 Outback Champions Series calendar are stops in Newport, R.I., Charlotte, N.C., Dallas, Texas and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. More information can be obtained by visiting www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.
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 http://www.insideoutse.com/ or www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com
