Ivanisevic and Edberg sign up for London
Goran Ivanisevic and Stefan Edberg have signed up to play at The Masters Tennis event on the same day as more tickets were put on sale for the hugely popular tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in December.
The former Wimbledon champions will take on six other, still-to-be-announced players, at least four of whom will also have been either a World Number One, Grand Slam singles finalist or a Davis Cup winner in their careers. A full programme of spectacular doubles action will also be unveiled in the coming months.
Both the Croatian and the Swede have played at the event once before - Ivanisevic in 2006 when he reached the final, and Edberg last year. It is a further indication of Edberg’s enjoyment of, and commitment to, the ATP Champions Tour after joining the circuit last year. Ivanisevic, who lost to Paul Haarhuis in the 2006 final, is desperate to return after missing out because of a knee injury last year.
“I have to get back the Royal Albert Hall,” said Ivanisevic. “It’s a fantastic place to play tennis in and I want to have that feeling again.”
Edberg now knows what he missed out on over the years, but he is still young and fit enough to make up for lost time.
“It was a wonderful experience last year,” said Edberg. “I enjoyed playing in the event and the arena is so special. I played at the Royal Albert Hall in the Doubles Masters in the 1980’s and the crowd in London gives you great support. It’s a very special feeling to play in front of them.”
The Croatian finally made his Wimbledon dream come true in 2001 when he won the title as a wild card. His victory over Tim Henman in a rain-delayed semifinal and then his triumph against Patrick Rafter in a subsequent ‘People’s Monday’, will go down in history as some of the greatest ever Wimbledon moments. Edberg is a two-time champion. He beat Boris Becker in two memorable finals in 1988 and 1990, losing to the German in the 1989 final. Last year, The Masters Tennis title was won by Cedric Pioline who shocked debutant Pete Sampras in the semifinals before going on to defeat Britain’s Greg Rusedski in the final.
For tickets to The Masters Tennis, please call the box office on: +44 (0) 208 233 5882, or visit the official website www.themasterstennis.com.
Corporate Hospitality packages are also available. Please call: +44 (0) 208 233 5854 or e-mail themasterstennis@imgworld.com.