The Cayman Islands Tennis Club hosted some of the sport’s greatest ambassadors of the modern era at a packed out fundraiser Friday.
The main attractions at A Night with the Legends evening were winner of this year’s Outback Legends Tournament and former world No.1 Jim Courier, fellow world No.1 Mats Wilander, top tennis coach Nick Bollettieri and top pros Wayne Ferreira, Paul Haarhuis and Mikael Pernfors.
In total, the event at the club raised $20,000 for the club’s junior programme and for resurfacing the tennis courts.
In what was probably the biggest night of the club’s history, around 150 members and their families attended to rub shoulders with their sporting heroes and raise money for a good cause.
The pros, who were relaxed and in sparkling form, following three days of stiff competition at the Courts at the Ritz, mingled with attendees for a good 45 minutes before taking to court one for an informative question and answer session.
The pros fielded questions from the audience about their careers. Younger audience members, in particular, were encouraged to take part in this rare chance to learn more about the sport’s most accomplished proponents.
Among the questions asked was how they dealt with career lows. Wilander, whose records are only now being emulated, said that playing week in week out meant that pros lost more than they won. This being the case, he said players quickly learnt to develop coping mechanisms.
The overriding sentiment on this subject by Haarhuis and Pernfors, who had both turned pro after college, was – win or lose – every day spent playing pro tennis was a bonus.
Four time Grand Slam champion and founder of the Outback Champion series tour, Courier spoke when asked about his great friend and rival Andre Agassi.
The first American to win the French Open said that he and Agassi had practically grown up together at Bolletierri’s academy. Being equally matched and driven, he said that they had lost and won against each other on numerous occasions.
The pros were also asked about their respective playing records against greats like John McEnroe.
Humorous responses and telling insights helped make this part of the evening highly memorable for attendees.
‘A night with the Legends turned out to be the best event that the club has ever had,’ the club’s manager Rob Seward said on Monday.
He added it had in fact been one of the highlights of what had been a stellar week of tennis events at both the Club and the Ritz-Carlton.
‘The clinics and the pro am that were held at the club and then, of course, the Outback tournament at the Ritz made for one of the most high profile sporting weeks ever held in Cayman.
‘It would be hard to overestimate the good the entire week will have in promoting tennis locally,’ he said.
After a standing ovation and a final flurry of autograph signing, the pros left and the fundraising aspect of the evening began.
The eagerly anticipated auction, emceed by Kevin Bacon, had bidders paying close attention. Among the upscale lots up for grabs were one week’s stay at the Residences at the Ritz, two life-time memberships at the CI Tennis Club, a three carat tennis bracelet from Diamonds International, two US Open tickets and an autographed McEnroe tennis racquet.
Bidding was brisk. The lots that attracted the most interest were the week at the Residences and the life-time memberships to the club, both of which raised $3,250 each.
Related Videos
