KANSAS CITY—John McEnroe will kick off his 20th year of "champions" tennis Wednesday at the Champions Showdown, the opening event on the 2014 PowerShares Series tennis circuit. McEnroe, who first played organized champions tournament tennis in 1995, will compete in nine of 12 events through March 13 on the PowerShares Series, the U.S. tennis circuit for legend tennis players over the age of 30.
McEnroe will face long-time rival Ivan Lendl in the semifinals of the circuit's first one-night event at the Sprint Center. He is also scheduled to face Lendl in the semifinals of Oklahoma City this Thursday. McEnroe is also scheduled to compete in Birmingham, Alabama on Feb. 13, Indianapolis on Feb. 14, Salt Lake City on Feb. 25, Sacramento on Feb. 26, Portland, Oregon on Feb. 27, Nashville on March 12 and Charlotte on March 13. Good tickets for all PowerShares Series events are still available starting at $25 at www.PowerSharesSeries.com. VIP packages — including meet-and-greet and play-with-the-pros on-court opportunities — are also available here, by email to VIP@insideoutse.com, or by phone at (253) 315-4299.
McEnroe won seven major singles titles in his career along with 10 other majors in doubles and mixed doubles. He won the U.S. Open four times and Wimbledon three times and helped the United States to the Davis Cup title five times. He captured 77 career singles titles and 78 career doubles titles, his last being in San Jose, California in 2006 at the age of 47. McEnroe, who will turn 55 on February 16, has continued his fine play, winning numerous champions events around the world since his final full-time year on the ATP Tour in 1992. He also continues to entertain tennis audiences as one of the best television commentators in the sport's history.
The full 2014 Power Shares Series schedule with field of players are as
follows:
Wednesday, February 5, Kansas City, Missouri, Sprint Center - Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Michael Chang
Thursday, February 6, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Chesapeake Energy Arena - Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Michael Chang
Thursday, February 13, Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex - John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis
Friday, February 14, Indianapolis, Bankers Life Fieldhouse - John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis
Wednesday, February 19, Denver, Pepsi Center - Andy Roddick, James Blake, Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis
Thursday, February 20, Houston, Toyota Center - Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Andy Roddick, James Blake
Tuesday, February 25, Salt Lake City, Energy Solutions Arena - Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, James Blake
Wednesday, February 26, Sacramento, Sleep Train Arena - Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, James Blake
Thursday, February 27, Portland, Moda Center - Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, James Blake
Wednesday, March 12 Nashville, Bridgestone Arena - John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, Pat Cash
Thursday, March 13, Charlotte, Time Warner Arena - John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, Pat Cash
Friday, March 21, Surprise, Surprise Stadium - Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Todd Martin, Michael Chang