[情報] Ivanisevic Returning to Tennis
Goran Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon Champion, will return to London to take on
British number one, Tim Henman in a special exhibition match at the Honda
Challenge, to be staged at The Royal Albert Hall from 3rd to 7th December.
For the British crowds, Ivanisevic's reappearance is long overdue after they
took the sssmighty Croatian to their hearts following his storybook victory
two years ago, as the first wild card to win a Grand Slam tournament.
Sadly, ever since he won the Championships, Ivanisevic has been plagued by
injuries. A shoulder problem and subsequent operation stopped him defending
his title in 2002. This year he had surgery to remove a piece of sea shell
from his heel, which had become embedded whilst he was wading on a beach in
Miami.
The news took on a far brighter note when his girlfriend, Tatjana gave birth
to a baby girl, the couple's first child. But after playing just one round of
the Stella Artois Championships, he complained of an elbow injury. A week later
he injured his knee in training and was forced to abandon his Wimbledon hopes
for the second year in a row.
Reports now confirm that Ivanisevic is fully fit and British tennis fans will
have the opportunity to see the left hander take on Tim Henman in the evening
session on Thursday 4th December. The match will be two sets with a Champions
Tie-Break to decide matters if the scores are level. Proceeds from the night
will benefit Henman's Kids at Heart charity.
The addition of Ivanisevic to this year's line up creates a rare situation
where four Wimbledon singles winners will be competing in one tournament -
Boris Becker, Michael Stich and John McEnroe will all return to contest the
singles event, which begins on Wednesday 3rd December.
"We are delighted that Goran has decided to join us for the first time at the
Royal Albert Hall," said tournament director, John Beddington. "It will be a
rare opportunity for British tennis fans to see one of the world's most popular
players in action and will be a chance for Goran to sample the camaraderie and
excitement of the Delta Tour of Champions."
Widely regarded as the flagship event on the Delta Tour of Champions, The Honda
Challenge will consist of eight singles players, six of whom will have
satisfied an exacting selection criteria, which stipulates they have either
been ranked at No.1 in the world, a winner or finalist for a Grand Slam singles
title or a singles player on a winning Davis Cup team.
In addition to Becker, McEnroe and Stich, Guy Forget, Petr Korda and Mats
Wilander have all been confirmed for the singles. Former British No.1, Jeremy
Bates and Henri Leconte have been awarded the two wild cards.
from Bob Larson's Tennis News
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 140.115.206.119
Ivanisevic 近期熱門文章
PTT體育區 即時熱門文章
