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.