Home  News Pat Cash Joins McEnroe, Courier & Wilander at Tennis Hall of Fame Champions Cup
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Pat Cash Joins McEnroe, Courier & Wilander at Tennis Hall of Fame Champions Cup
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Tennis Hall of Fame
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NEWPORT, RI – The International Tennis Hall of Fame today announced that Pat Cash, the 1987 Wimbledon champion, Mikael Pernfors of Sweden and Wayne Ferreira of South Africa will compete in the International Tennis Hall of Fame Champions Cup August 13-17 in Newport, RI. Cash, Pernfors and Ferreira will join John McEnroe, Jim Courier and Mats Wilander in the eight-player field of the grass court tournament that is the fourth of eight events on the 2008 Outback Champions Series, the international champions’ tennis circuit featuring the greatest names in tennis age 30 and over.
Tickets for the event are available now and can be purchased by calling 866-914-FAME. Ticket prices start at $14. Full ticket information can be found at www.tennisfame.com.
Cash, 43, joined the illustrious list of Australian players to win Wimbledon when he defeated Ivan Lendl to win the title in 1987, famously climbing into the stands to hug his family and friends. Cash was also a singles finalist at the Australian Open in 1987 and 1988 and was a semifinalist at the U.S. Open in 1984. He led Australia to victory in the Davis Cup in 1983 and 1986 and achieved a career high singles ranking of No. 4 in 1988. On the Outback Champions Series, his best result came in reaching the final in Naples, Fla., in 2006, losing to Courier.
Pernfors, 44, is best known for his run to the singles final at the 1986 French Open, where he defeated Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker before losing to Ivan Lendl in the final. Pernfors won three ATP singles titles including the Canadian Open in 1993 where he came from 2-5 down in the third set to defeat Martin in the final. Pernfors helped Sweden to the Davis Cup final in 1986 and won back-to-back NCAA singles titles for the University of Georgia in 1984 and 1985. Pernfors is currently ranked No. 7 in the Stanford Champions Rankings and his best Outback Champions Series performance came in fourth-place finishes in Naples in 2006 and 2008.
Ferreira, 36, is best known for winning the silver medal in doubles at the 1992 Olympic Games and as a two-time Australian Open semifinalist. His record for most consecutive major tournaments played during a career was broken this year at Wimbledon when Ai Sugiyama of Japan played in her 57th consecutive major tournament title. Ferreira, currently ranked No. 3 in the Stanford Champions Rankings, has won three career titles on the Outback Champions Series, including tournament victories in 2007 in Naples, Fla., and Dallas, Texas.
Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Pete Sampras, McEnroe, Courier and others. To be eligible to compete on the Outback Champions Series, players must have reached at least a major singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team.
The Outback Championship Series features eight events on its 2008 schedule, with its next event being the International Tennis Hall of Fame Champions Cup in Newport, R.I., August 13-17. Each event features an eight-man round-robin match format with the winner of each four-player division meeting in the title match while second place finishers in each division meet in the third-place match. Each event features $150,000 in prize money with an undefeated winner taking home $54,000 as well as Outback Champions Series points that will determine the year-end No. 1 on the Stanford Champions Rankings. Beginning in 2008, the year-end champion will receive a $100,000 bonus courtesy of Stanford Financial Group, the official rankings sponsor of the Outback Champions Series. Through the first three events in 2008, McEnroe and Courier are tied for the No. 1 position with 1600 points each. Wayne Ferreira is in third position with 950 points, followed by Aaron Krickstein and Todd Martin in fourth place with 900 points each.
The 2008 Outback Champions Series kicked off March 12-16 in Naples, Fla.., at The Oliver Group Champions Cup where Todd Martin defeated McEnroe in the final. Courier won the second event of the season at The Residences at The Ritz Carlton, Grand Cayman Legends Championships April 16-20, defeating Ferreira in the final, while McEnroe won his first career Outback Champions Series even in Boston April 30- May 4, defeating Aaron Krickstein in the final. The next five events on the 2008 Outback Champions Series calendar are stops in Newport, R.I., Charlotte, N.C., Dallas, Texas, Surprise, Arizona and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. More information can be obtained by visiting www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.
The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, established in 1954, is a non-profit institution dedicated to preserving the history of tennis, inspiring and encouraging junior tennis development, enshrining tennis heroes and heroines, and providing a landmark for tennis enthusiasts worldwide. It was recognized as the sport’s official Hall of Fame in 1986 by the International Tennis Federation, the governing body of tennis. The International Tennis Hall of Fame’s legendary grass courts remain the only competition grass courts available for professional events and exhibitions, while also available for public play. For more information about the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, events and programs, please call 401-849-3990 or log on to www.tennisfame.com.
InsideOut Sports & Entertainment is a New York City-based independent producer of proprietary events and promotions founded in 2004 by former world No. 1 and Hall of Fame tennis player Jim Courier and former SFX and Clear Channel executive Jon Venison. In 2005, InsideOut launched its signature property, the Outback Champions Series, a collection of tennis events featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including one-night "Legendary Night" exhibitions as well as charity events and tennis fantasy camps, including the annual Ultimate Fantasy Camp. For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com
Hall of Fame Class of 2008: Michael Chang, Mark McCormack, Gene Scott
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Newswire 
