The residents of Surprise, Arizona are going to be pleasantly surprised to find out that former world number one tennis player Andre Agassi will be gracing their neighborhood this coming October for an Outback Champions Series event.
This will serve as Agassi’s first return to competitive tennis since he’s been active to exhibition events for the past two years. The 39-year old eight-time Grand Slam titlist officially retired after the 2006 U.S. Open. He’s one of only five men to have completed a career Grand Slam (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open).
This development was revealed by Champions Series Tour spokesperson Randy Walker. The event will take place at the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex on October 8 to 11. The winner will receive $150,000 in cash prize money.
Only select players can play at the Outback Champions Series. First, the player must have at least reached one Grand Slam final in his career. Second, he should have been ranked within the world’s top five or have played singles matches on a team that has won the Davis Cup. Obviously, Agassi has passed with flying colors.
This might be a great opportunity for fans to see another series of exciting matches between old rivals Agassi and Pete Sampras. Sampras, a former world number one and 14-time Grand Slam titlist, is also playing in the senior tour.
Agassi has already signed up to take part in the World Team Tennis competitions this July. He’s also scheduled to make an appearance in Wimbledon with wife Steffi Graf this May to try out the new retractable roof over All England Club’s Centre Court.
