NEW YORK, N.Y., February 6, 2008 – InsideOut Sports & Entertainment today announced the full slate of tournaments for the 2008 Outback Champions Series with two new events in Arizona and the Cayman Islands highlighting the continued growth and expansion of the international circuit for champion tennis players.The Cancer Treatment Centers of America Championships at Surprise, Ariz., joins The Residences At The Ritz Carlton, Grand Cayman Legends Championships as the two new events on the 2008 schedule that now features eight tournaments. Launched in 2005, the Outback Champions Series is a collection of tennis events featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30, including former world No. 1 players Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jim Courier and Mats Wilander among others.
The complete 2008 Outback Champions Series schedule is as follows;
THE 2008 OUTBACK CHAMPIONS SERIES
The Oliver Group Champions Cup Naples, Fla.
March 12-16
The Residences at The Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman
April 16-20
Grand Cayman Legends Championships Cayman Islands
Champions Cup Boston Boston,
Mass. April 30 – May 4
International Tennis Hall of Fame Newport,
R.I. August 13-17
Champions Cup
The Championships at The Palisades Charlotte, N.C.
September 24-28
Stanford Championships Dallas,
Texas October 22-26
Cancer Treatment Centers of America Surprise, Ariz.
November 5-9
Championships at Surprise, Ariz.
Emirates NBD The Legends “Rock” Dubai Dubai, U.A.E.
November 18-22
“The continued expansion of the Outback Champions Series is a testament to the world-class quality of tennis, great entertainment value and excellent media exposure that each event provides,” said Jon Venison. “We are excited to add Arizona and Grand Cayman to the list of Outback Champion Series destinations and are thrilled that companies such as The Cancer Treatment Centers of America and Ritz Carlton have joined the Outback Champions Series family and are supporting this unique brand of tennis.”
Starting in 2008, players on the Outback Champions Series will also compete for a $100,000 bonus awarded to the year-end No. 1 in the Stanford Champions Rankings. All Outback Champions Series events feature ranking points and $150,000 in prize money with an undefeated winner taking home $54,000. 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. Courier, the year-end No. 1 in 2006, finished at No. 2, followed by Sampras at No. 3.
All Outback 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. To be eligible to compete on the Champions Series, players must have either reached a Grand Slam singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world in singles or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team.
Information on each individual event – including ticket information and up-to-date player fields – can be obtained by visiting www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com .
About The Outback Champions Series
Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features eight events where champion tennis players continue to exercise their competitive instincts in tournament formats that feature prize money and Champions Series ranking points that determine a year-end No. 1 player on the Stanford Champions Rankings. 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.
About InsideOut Sports & Entertainment
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 corporate outings, 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