The BlackRock Tour of Champions will travel to new venues in Istanbul, Turkey and Budapest, Hungary as part of an expanded, 13-event calendar in 2008.
The Tour, which features some of the most famous and successful players in tennis history, will kick off next week in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Istanbul tournament will take place in July and the Budapest event is set to debut in October.
After an impressive first year in 2007, the ‘Tennis Legends’ event in Belfast has attracted the addition of Bjorn Borg to a field that also sees the return of John McEnroe, Pat Cash and Henri Leconte.
Borg and McEnroe have been drawn to face each other in round-robin action, and will clash on the evening of Friday, February 22nd.
Borg and McEnroe have been drawn into a four-man group with former French Open finalist Mikael Pernfors and Britain’s Jeremy Bates. The other four-man group will feature 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash, last year’s finalist Henri Leconte, defending champion Anders Jarryd and wild card Chris Wilkinson.
After Belfast, the circuit will visit Barcelona (Spain), Hamburg (Germany), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Istanbul (Turkey), Graz (Austria), Algarve (Portugal), Paris (France), Brussels (Belgium), Eindhoven (Netherlands), Budapest (Hungary) and Frankfurt (Germany) before culminating in London (England).
Last year, two-time French Open champion Sergi Bruguera was the dominant force on the BlacRock Tour of Champions. The Spaniard won seven titles, although he fell at the year-ending BlackRock Masters Tennis to Paul Haarhuis, who went on to seal his third successive title in London.
The BlackRock Tour of Champions Calendar 2008
Belfast, Northern Ireland - February 21-24 (Tennis Legends)
Barcelona, Spain - April 24-27
Hamburg, Germany - May 14-17
Sao Paulo, Brazil - May 21-24
Istanbul, Turkey - July 17-20
Graz, Austria - July 29-August 2
Algarve, Portugal - August 5-8
Paris, France - September 18-21
Brussels, Belgium - September 25-28
Eindhoven, Netherlands - October 2-5
Budapest, Hungary - October 9-12
Frankfurt, Germany - November 13-16
London, UK - December 2-7
