While the ATP and WTA seasons are winding down right now, former champions that make up the Champions Tour are still entertaining tennis fans all over the country. I got a taste of this recently. I joined two of my good friends in late September for the night session of day two of the Outback Champions Series at the Palisades just outside of Charlotte. Jim Courier has been complimentary of Charlotte as a host location and I believe there were good crowds at the event, except for the night we attended. The threat of rain and heavy winds kept a lot of fans away, but the 500 or so people that were there were entertained by some big names.
The Palisades is a nice place to host the event. The stadium court could probably hold 3,000 or so people and the set up was just like any other ATP event with vendor tents and hospitality areas. The round robin tournament brings together eight champions in two groups. The Charlotte stop included Jim Courier, Goran Ivanisevic, Todd Martin, Wayne Ferreria and Thomas Enqvist, among others. The first match of the night on day two was Courier and Jimmy Arias. Arias really struggled with the wind and the misting rain at times and never really found his game. Courier was very consistent and glided through the match 6-2, 6-1.
In the second match, Ferreria played Enqvist in what turned out to be a very entertaining match. Enqvist jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the first set and it looked like Ferreria would not be able to get his game going. He did start to find his consistency and turned it around. Ferreria rallied to win the next four games and take the first set. The two continued to play many good rallies but Ferreria was more consistent and took the second set 6-3.
The players come to play and entertain. Enqvist and Karel Novacek were late adds to the lineup when Mark Philippoussis and Mikael Pernfors pulled out of the tournament due to injuries. Each champion brings a really good spirit to the event and all are pretty accessible. Although he wasn't playing, Ivanisevic watched both matches and a number of fans got photos and talked with him during the evening. Arias was in good spirits after his loss and took a moment to pose in a photo with me and Alex while cracking a joke or two.
It's a great event that promotes all the good things about tennis. And it's clear from the level of play that these guys can still compete. If you get a chance to see the series in one of the many cities they play in the U.S. or outside the U.S., check it out.
Time.
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