Cayman’s business community has
once again reaffirmed its support for bringing championship level tennis to the
Cayman Islands with several local firms signing on as sponsors for the 2010
Legends Championships, hosted by Dragon Bay at The Courts at The Ritz-Carlton.
It runs from 5-7 November and
sponsors Dragon Bay Cayman Islands Realty – exclusive affiliate of Christie’s
Great Estates, Butterfield Private Banking, Tortuga Rum Company, Cayman Free
Press, dms Broadcasting and Crighton Properties were feted at a private
reception two weeks ago with tennis greats Jim Courier and Jimmy Arias. Courier
is a former world No.1 and four-time Grand Slam singles title winner and Arias
is a former world No.5 and Grand Slam doubles title winner.
Set in the elegant surroundings of
Private Residence 605 at The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, the reception
offered the tennis pros and Dragon Bay developer Mike Ryan the opportunity to
thank the sponsors for their support. “The Legends tournament brings the best
tennis players of all time to Cayman, and along with these fantastic players
comes increased exposure for the Cayman Islands as a great place to visit and
invest in,” Ryan said. “We thank our sponsors for their support of the Legends
tournament and for understanding the vision and value of hosting a world-class
sporting event here.”
Representing event sponsor Tortuga
Rum Company, Brands Manager Barnaby Richardson said: “The Legends Tennis
Tournament brings a little bit of the Caribbean to the Legends circuit and
that’s why we are proud to sponsor with local legends – Tortuga and Carib beer.
We also saw a lot of synergies with our international brands such as Stoli
Vodka and Kim Crawford New Zealand Wines and the world class athletes that would
attend this great event. The fit was perfect and like the Legends, they just
get more enjoyable over time! ”
Courier and Arias were in Cayman
for a couple of days to promote this weekend’s Legends event, meet and greet
the event sponsors and to take part in a free tennis clinic for local primary
school students, which attracted over 230 children to The Courts at The
Ritz-Carlton.
The other four tennis powerhouses
in the line-up are Stefan Edberg, former world No.1 in both singles and doubles
and a six-time Grand Slam singles title winner; Marat Safin, former world No.1
and a two-time Grand Slam singles title winner and Aaron Krickstein, former
world No.6 and Grand Slam semi-finalist. Original pick Michael Chang had to
drop out because his wife is just about to have their first baby. Chang is
replaced by 1986 French Open finalist Mikael Pernfors.
The Legends tennis tournament is
now in its third year and has grown to include additional events. One new
addition is the charity Pro Am Tournament, which started on Wednesday and
invites fans to play with and against the participating tennis pros in a
separate tournament. The winners will be presented with a trophy in a special
awards ceremony. Participation in the Pro-Am is offered at US$10,000 with
proceeds benefiting the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre.
Also new to the event is a free
street exhibition match on Saturday. Open to the public and with free
admission, the exhibition match will feature four of the legendary pros in action
in downtown George Town. “We thought it was really important to expose
world-class tennis to the widest possible audience in Cayman, and decided that
a free event in the middle of town would draw the most people,” Ryan said. “I
am a dedicated tennis fan and really excited about getting Cayman’s kids interested
in a great sport that can help them maintain a healthy lifestyle – all while
having a lot of fun.”
The 2010 Legends Championships
kicks off with the quarter-finals on Friday and continues with two days chock
full of tennis action, including the street exhibition match and the
nail-biting finals to name the ultimate champion. Although the event is selling
out quickly, tennis fans can still take advantage of the 2010 Legends
Championships full weekend package, which includes VIP Gold seats to all tennis
events – the quarter-finals on Friday, the semis on Saturday and the finals on
Sunday.
The package also includes entry to
the VIP Champions Club for all events and attendance at the Saturday Night
Whites party with the pros.
Proceeds from the Legends
tournament will benefit the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre – a locally run
charity with the primary mandate to provide a safe haven for abused women and
their children and to promote the belief that everyone deserves the right to
live a life free of violence. Ryan has been hosting charity tennis tournaments
for several years to support the CICC and in 2009 raised $50,000 to benefit the
Centre’s programmes.
For more information on the Legends
Championships 2010 or to reserve tickets, visit www.TheLegendsCayman.com or
www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com
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