Tourney driven to promote tennis
Monday, July 27, 1998
Tourney driven to promote tennis
PREVIEW: Mercedes-Benz Cup touts world's top players; side events hope to increase interest in sport
By Steve Kim
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
If Los Angeles is a hot spot for the renowned and talented, then it's only appropriate to provide a venue for some of the world's best tennis players to gather and play.
So be it. This week, UCLA's Los Angeles Tennis Center hosts a number of top tennis pros in the Mercedes-Benz Cup. Pros like Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter, Tim Henman and Goran Ivanisevic are here for some competition, practice and fun.
The Mercedes-Benz Cup, which starts today and ends Sunday, has rounded up its strongest field of competition and expects its best tournament yet. The total event purse to be awarded to the players is just over $11 million.
The top draw of the Mercedes tournament was No. 1 ranked Pete Sampras, until a foot injury forced him to withdraw. Sampras had been looking forward to competing in Los Angeles, especially in the friendly confines of UCLA, where his sister Stella coaches the women's tennis team.
Most players look at the Mercedes-Benz Cup as a stepping stone, a valuable practice tournament which ultimately leads into the U.S. Open later in the summer hard court season.
For example, last year's U.S. Open champion Patrick Rafter (No. 5) plans to play Los Angeles before going on to Toronto's du Maurier Open and eventually defending his title at the U.S. Open.
"L.A. week will be a good training week, hopefully I can get some good matches in as well," Rafter said.
"L.A. is a tournament I always enjoy being at. It's a lot of fun. And you get to do a lot of hard work, and I think a lot of guys actually haven't practiced as well, so I think a lot of the guys are in the same boat as I am - all being maybe a little bit underdog."
Also in the hunt is another American star, Andre Agassi (No. 18), last year's tournament runner-up Thomas Enqvist of Sweden (No. 17) and first time L.A. competitor Tim Henman of Great Britain (No. 11).
Croatian Goran Ivanisevic (No. 14) found himself on the same center stage with Sampras during the Wimbledon final. Court surfaces may differ, but he'll also be looking to turn in another stellar performance here.
In its 72nd year, the tournament is conducted by the Southern California section of the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) and UCLA. Mercedes-Benz is the title sponsor, but the L.A. tournament has been under various names, such as the Infiniti Open in the past few years.
UCLA has participated as a facility provider since the 1970s, when the tournament took place in Pauley Pavilion for several years. The university provides the venue and facilities management, while the tennis association takes care of the administrative and operational tasks.
In effort to increase interest for the sport, USTA has set up various side events beside the main attraction of tennis matches. Racquet Days allow fans to enter free for sessions 1 or 2, Monday or Tuesday, in exchange for an old tennis racquet.
An Evening at the Net, a celebrity fund-raising tennis match with Sampras and Agassi joined by Hollywood celebrities, will take place tonight to benefit United Friends of Children.
Kids Day, a free morning of fun with the pro duo the Jensen brothers among others, is also geared at promoting enthusiasm of tennis, especially to the younger audience.
To sum up the whole package - world class tennis matches, side events and all - the Mercedes-Benz Cup is sure to attract a large audience, an expected total participation of 70,000.
"The bottom line is we want to get more people to learn about the game of tennis," said tournament director Bob Kramer.
"Our mission is to go out and get more people to play tennis in more places, so the whole event's purpose is really to promote the growth of tennis in Southern California."
Daily Bruin File Photo
At the 1997 Infiniti Open, Andre Agassi lost in the first round to UCLA's Justin Gimelstob.
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