By Mike McIntyre
You can not be serious! John McEnroe is coming to Canada.
It's not often that Canada has the opportunity to showcase some of the most entertaining tennis stars in the world. Our hockey-crazed nation does host an annual Masters 1000 event on both the ATP and WTA Tours in August. Each year the best men's and women's players in the game alternate between Montreal and Toronto for a fantastic showcase of their vast talent. Aside from those two weeks (which, starting in 2011 will be run simultaneously in each city) there really isn't much tennis exposure at home for Canadians to enjoy.
That changes on Saturday May 8th with the first annual Legends of Tennis in Hamilton, Ontario, showcasing former Grand Slam champions Jim Courier and John McEnroe. The event is being held indoors at Copps Coliseum a venue mostly known for its hockey games and rock concerts.
The 39 year old Courier retired from professional tennis in 2000 and his illustrious career included four Grand Slams including two French Open and two Australian Open titles. He also spent a total of 58 weeks ranked number on in the world in 1992 and 1993.
The real drawing card of this event is certainly John McEnroe, who at age 51 is still a formidable presence on the tennis court. Since retiring from the ATP Tour in 1992, McEnroe has remained active in the sport between playing in exhibition matches and his successful broadcasting career. A seven time Grand Slam singles winner, McEnroe also captured 70 doubles titles on tour.
An opening match between former NHL players Tie Domi and Claude Lemieux will get things started. An interesting choice for the opening act to say the least.
Tickets are running between $35 and $95 depending on what section you're looking for and can be purchased from Ticketmaster.
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