THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON -- Stefan Edberg will return to competitive tennis for the first time in 12 years when he plays two matches on the seniors tour.
The 42-year-old Swede, who has won two Wimbledon titles among his six Grand Slam titles, had previously declined to play the seniors event but changed his mind when Pete Sampras announced he would play two events this year.
Both players will contest the London leg of the Tour of Champions from Dec. 2-7 at Royal Albert Hall. Edberg will also play in Paris from Sept. 18-21. Sampras will play in Sao Paulo, Brazil, from June 19-22.
"I retired from the ATP circuit 12 years ago and had often been asked to play," Edberg said of overtures by the seniors tour. "This time I decided to say 'yes.' I am looking forward to seeing and playing against some of my old rivals."
Sampras said he was looking forward to a possible rematch with Edberg in London, who he lead 8-6 in head-to-heads.
"I always looked up to him with his serve-and-volley game, his movement and the attitude that he had," Sampras said.
"I always thought he was a real gentleman and I'm looking forward to seeing him, talking to him and just seeing how his life is as I haven't spoken to him for many years."
The Tour of Champions, which started in 1997, runs in a round-robin format with matches contested over three sets.
Players must been either been ranked No. 1 during their competitive playing careers, a Grand Slam singles finalist or a singles player in a victorious Davis Cup team to be eligible to play.
Other players on the tour include Michael Stich, Goran Ivanisevic, Pat Cash, Henri Leconte, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg.
No comments:
Post a Comment