March 7, 2011
Sampras Meets Ivanisevic Again At Last; Lendl Replaces McEnroe
Former World Number One Ivan Lendl will replace the injured John McEnroe in a star-studded field at the BNP Paribas Zurich Open, while Pete Sampras will face Goran Ivanisevic on a tennis court for the first time in 12 years.
On a day when McEnroe was forced to withdraw because of a twisted ankle sustained last week, the draw and the schedule of play for the tournament revealed some mouth-watering match-ups. Sampras will take on Ivanisevic in a repeat of their two Wimbledon finals (1994, 1998), Mark Philippoussis, who beat the American at the 1996 Australian Open, and Thomas Muster, who he vied with for the World No.1 spot in the mid-90's. Sampras has not met Ivanisevic since they retired from the ATP World Tour. The 14-time Grand Slam champion led their head-to-head12-6, and won their last meeting at The Queen's Club in 1999.
When told, three years ago, that Sampras was going to be joining the ATP Champions Tour, Ivanisevic said: "That guy took a lot of years off my life, and at least I want to have the satisfaction of beating him on the ATP Champions Tour. It's not going to be easy but I'll do my best." To hear Ivanisevic's reaction, in his deepest baritone, click here.
McEnroe left it until the last minute to try to be ready, but after receiving medical advice he was forced to withdraw from the tournament --- only the second time in ten years that he has pulled out ahead of an ATP Champions Tour event because of injury. His place in the draw went to his long-time rival Lendl, who will take on the 1991 Wimbledon champion Michael Stich, the former French Open finalist Henri Leconte, and a man that Lendl has never previously faced --- Tim Henman.
At the draw ceremony on Monday, Henman talked of his excitement that Lendl will be joining the line-up at the second annual Zurich Open.
"When I was just starting out my career he was just finishing," said Henman of Lendl. "So I haven't played with him before and I'm looking forward to that. Obviously it's disappointing that McEnroe can't play but Lendl is a fantastic replacement. I think it's fantastic that we've got Ivan coming here. He's one of the all-time greats so it's good to see him back playing tennis again and to see him here in Zurich."
Henman sympathised with Muster, who has been dealt a difficult draw. The Austrian finds himself in Group A alongside the power-serving trio of Sampras, Ivanisevic and Philippoussis, who won the opening ATP Champions Tour event of the year in Delray Beach in February.
"I hope Thomas has been practicing his returns of serve!" said Henman.
Sampras spent last week in the company of 16-time Grand Slam Champion and good friend Roger Federer. The pair spent the week at Sampras' home in Los Angeles, and in between practice sessions managed to squeeze in a trip to see the NBA team the LA Lakers. To read more and see pictures click here.
The champions will be joined once again in Zurich by eight of the world's top junior players as part of the event's unique 'Where Champions Meet Talents' format.
Headlining the junior field will be the promising British trio of Oliver Golding, Liam Broady and Josh Sapwell as well as ITF No. 1 Ranked player Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic. Alongside them will be Swiss players Dmitri Bretting and Alexander Ritschard, Croatian player Mate Pavic and Sloviakian Filip Horansky.
Once again, The ATP Champions Tour event will follow the usual format, with the eight-man junior tournament being played in parallel. In addition, during the night session on each day of the event, tennis' past and future champions will unite to play side-by-side in a separate doubles tournament where teams formed of one legend and one junior will do battle against one another.
View the round-robin groups and the order of play for the week in Zurich.
After Zurich The ATP Champions Tour will head to the Southern hemisphere for a South American swing that will cover Sao Paulo, Brazil (May 5-8), Guadalajara, Mexico (May 11-14) and Bogota, Colombia (May 19-22).