The final event of the ATP Champions Tour is set to make its 23rd appearance at the Royal Albert Hall this winter. The iconic British venue will play host to a line-up of tennis legends, including 25 time Grand Slam Champion, Martina Hingis and David Ferrer, who will be picking up his racket and bandana once again having only recently retired after the Mutua Madrid Open in May.
Tennis lovers will be delighted to see the Spaniard return to court so soon after hanging up his racket and his appearance underlines the appetite of the Champions Tour among recently retired players. The 37-year-old will no doubt wow fans with his movement around the court and will be one of the hot favourites to take Juan Carlos Ferrero’s prestigious Champions Tennis crown.
The news of Hingis and Ferrer will no doubt delight the Royal Albert Hall Crowd and they will be joined on court by an impressive line-up, including former British no.1 Tim Henman, 2001 Wimbledon Champion, Goran Ivanišević, last year’s Champions Tennis finalist, Tommy Haas and fan favourite, Mansour Bahrami.
Commencing on Thursday 28th November, the four-day tournament is comprised of an afternoon and an evening session per day – with two scheduled matches per session; one competitive singles match and one doubles match. For the tennis public, it will be a fantastic opportunity to watch their favourites in the stunning surroundings of the Albert Hall. While the legends rediscover the pure joy of hitting a tennis ball, the competition will be fiercer than ever, as players bid to become a part of Champions Tennis history forever.
With more player announcements due in the coming weeks, this year’s Champions Tennis is set to be huge with plenty of action taking place on and off the court.
David Ferrer said: “I am so excited to join the Champion’s Tour and the opportunity to play at such a beautiful venue in front of a wonderful crowd at the Royal Albert Hall. I may be retired now, but that won’t stop me doing everything I can to win the tournament”.
Since the ATP Champions Tour’s inception in 1997, so many great names have graced the court, including John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker and Pete Sampras. Not too mention more recent players to the Champions Tour, and former Wimbledon greats, such as Andy Roddick, Pat Rafter and Marat Safin.
Tickets to the event are now on sale and can be purchased via the Champions Tennis website, www.championstennis.co.uk
