honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted at 11:02 a.m., Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Tennis: Kournikova, Sampras headline World Team

By Melissa Murphy
Associated Press

NEW YORK — Anna Kournikova will open the season, Pete Sampras plans to play four matches and John McEnroe will try to keep up "with the big boys" of World Team Tennis.

Co-founded by Billie Jean King, the coed league kicks off its 32nd season Thursday. The monthlong series will feature appearances by Venus and Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and the top-ranked doubles duo of Bob and Mike Bryan.

King and WTT commissioner Ilana Kloss have been innovators in the sport — debuting instant replay, on-court coaching and no-ad scoring — and will launch a "Go Green" effort in two of the league's 11 cities.

"We're trying to take a leadership role in going green," Kloss said of the energy-conscious endeavor with FirmGreen. "We know it's a huge job. We're committed to start in California with the two teams in Sacramento and Newport Beach."

Kournikova will headline the Sacramento Capitals' home opener Thursday against the Springfield (Mo.) Lasers. It's her fifth season in WTT and third straight with the Capitals.

"It's awesome that tennis gets to be displayed in cities where normally you don't have big tournaments," Kournikova said. "It's so friendly for the fans. You get to see the current players. You get to see the young and up and coming. So it's just a diversity."

The youngest is 14-year-old Michelle Larcher de Brito, who upset Meghann Shaughnessy earlier this year. McEnroe, 48, is the oldest of the 53 players from 18 countries in the league.

McEnroe, who will play for the New York Sportimes in Mamaroneck, said he's "deluded enough to think I can play with the big boys." McEnroe's matches include the regular-season finale against Sharapova's Newport Beach team on July 25.

His strategy against the No. 2 player in the world?

"Keep it nice and low — she's quite tall," McEnroe said.

Sampras, who will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on July 14, made his WTT debut last summer. He'll be inducted with Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, who will play for the Boston Lobsters.

"They've been trying to get me to play Team Tennis since I was a pro," Sampras said, laughing. "It was kind of my first commitment to playing again — it got me on the court and in shape. I enjoyed it, even though I looked a little rusty."

Players may be joking around in the relaxed atmosphere of mascots, coaches, cheerleaders and music between games. But it gets serious once the ball is in play.

"It's competitive, it's the real deal," said Sampras, who will play for the Newport Beach Breakers. "We're there to play to win."

The men's and women's singles, doubles and mixed doubles format includes four-point games, five-game sets and supertiebreakers.

"People can get into it, make some noise," Sampras said. "I enjoy the team atmosphere of the event. Billie deserves a lot of credit for what they're doing with team tennis. It's accessible and lots of fan contact."

Sampras will play at home July 10 against Sacramento and travel to New York (July 18), Philadelphia (July 19) and St. Louis (July 24). In the meantime, he's been playing golf and keeping up with sons Christian, who is 4 1/2, and Ryan, almost 2.

The 26-year-old Kournikova retired in 2003 because of back and foot injuries. A winner of two Grand Slam doubles titles at the Australian Open (1999, 2002), she gives tennis clinics at Boys & Girls Clubs and is launching a new sports clothing line.

Her Sacramento coach is Wayne Bryan, father of the Bryan brothers.

"Oh, he's just a blast," Kournikova said. "He is a true tennis enthusiast. He loves the game, and he really is an amazing motivator."

FirmGreen, an alternative fuels and energy company, is trying to motivate fans to think about energy conservation. It's one of six sponsors of the league, and FirmGreen CEO Steve Wilburn is a Newport Beach season ticket holder.

The "Go Green" effort includes planting trees, using solar panels, educating fans about recycling and using hybrid buses. Players will be introduced on a "green carpet" made of recycled material.

"We look at ourselves as a think tank," Kloss said. "We think it's good to try new things. We've really done that throughout the history of the league."

Matches will be shown on the Tennis Channel and Versus, along with regional coverage in WTT cities, which also include Houston, Kansas City, Wilmington, Del., and Schenectady, N.Y. The foreign players drive interest in television packages to Russia, Australia and Japan.

The WTT championship for the King trophy will be held July 27-29 in Roseville, Calif.