DALLAS, July 16, 2008 – InsideOut Sports & Entertainment today announced that the Turpin Tennis Stadium on the campus of Southern Methodist University will be the new home of the Stanford Championships, one of eight events on the 2008 Outback Champions Series, the international champions’ tennis circuit featuring the greatest names in tennis age 30 and over.
The Stanford Championships will be played October 22-26 and will feature a field of eight players that will include Jim Courier, Todd Martin, Mark Philippoussis and defending champion Wayne Ferreira. Tickets can be purchased by calling 877-332-TIXX (8499). The remaining four players in the field will be announced at a later date.
“We are thrilled to bring the Stanford Championships to Southern Methodist University and the new Turpin Tennis Stadium,” said Jim Courier, co-founding partner of InsideOut Sports & Entertainment and the Outback Champions Series. “SMU is one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country and will be an exceptionally attractive fan and player-friendly venue for the biggest professional tennis event in Dallas.”
The staging of the Stanford Championships at SMU adds to the university’s storied history of tennis. In addition to having one of the most noted college programs in the country, the university’s Moody Coliseum hosted one of the premier events in tennis at the time, the WCT Finals, from 1972 to 1979. The 1972 WCT Final between Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall, played at the Moody Coliseum, is regarded by many as one of the greatest tennis matches of all-time – Rosewall beating Laver 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 in a nationally-televised epic.
“We are pleased to be able to provide our new Turpin Tennis Stadium as a venue for this exciting tournament,” said Steve Orsini, SMU Director of Athletics. “SMU has a long-standing association with world-class tennis, having hosted the finals of the World Championship of Tennis, the Virginia Slims of Dallas Tennis Championship and other top-level matches and exhibitions. Events like this only strengthen that tie and increase our visibility as a destination for Dallas sports fans.”
Ferreira will return to Dallas to defend his title that he won over Courier in the 2007 final, played at the Dr. Pepper StarCenter. Courier, Martin and Philippoussis will also return to Dallas having competed in 2007.
Courier, 37, is one of 15 men in the history of tennis to play in all four major singles finals, winning the French Open in 1991 and 1992, the Australian Open in 1992 and 1993 and losing the finals of the Wimbledon in 1993 and the U.S. Open in 1991. An owner of 23 career singles titles, Courier helped the United States to Davis Cup titles in 1992 – clinching victory over Switzerland in Ft. Worth, Texas – and in 1995. The 2005 inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame is currently ranked No. 1 in the Stanford Champions Rankings on the Outback Champions Series and won the title in March in the Cayman Islands.
Martin, 38, 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. A two-time Wimbledon semifinalist, he won eight ATP singles titles in his career, and helped the United States to the Davis Cup title in 1995. Martin was the 2007 year-end No. 1 in the Stanford Champions Rankings on the Outback Champions Series and is currently ranked No. 4 for 2008.
Philippoussis, 31, is in the process of another return to competitive tennis, with the hopes of again playing on the ATP Tour. Last fall, Philippoussis returned from his fourth knee surgery, and played in the Stanford Championships 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 and first major singles title.
Ferreira, 36, defeated Courier 2-6, 6-3, 11-9 (Champions Tie-Break) to win last year’s Stanford Championships – his third career title in the Outback Champions Series. Ferreira 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 is currently ranked No. 3 in the Stanford Champions Rankings.
Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Pete 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 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 Stanford Champions Rankings No. 1. 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 Todd 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 even in Boston April 30- May 4, defeating Aaron Krickstein in the final. The next five events on the 2008 Outback Champions Series calendar are stops in Newport, R.I., Charlotte, N.C., Dallas, Texas, Surprise, Arizona 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 www.InsideOutSE.com or www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com
