Bob Larson's Tennis News | BlackRock Tour of Champions to visit South America for the first time

The BlackRock Tour of Champions will expand to 12 events in 2007 after a tournament was added in South America for the very first time.

The event, in Sao Paolo, Brazil will take place November 22-25, and will feature Bjorn Borg among a field of other great tennis champions at an indoor stadium that holds 6,000 people.

“When we told the sponsors and the people that Bjorn Borg would play in Sao Paolo you could see their excitement,” said Tournament Director, Pedro Frazao.

“He is still the biggest name in tennis history. The event will be just one week before the BlackRock Masters in London so players who need points to qualify can do so in Brazil.”

Frazao hopes that former French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten will play at the event in future years.

“We believe that in one or two years ‘Guga’ will be looking to play so we want to start a good tournament this year so that it will be there when he is ready to play,” he said.

For Borg, who returned to the BlackRock Tour of Champions in the Algarve, Portugal last month and has already signed up to play in Eindhoven, Holland and London, England, it is an exciting opportunity.

“It’s good for the Tour to be expanding all over the world,” said Borg.

“I have played in Sao Paolo before and the people in Brazil get very excited about tennis. It’s going to be a great event with some great players.”

The next event on the BlackRock Tour of Champions is the 4th Trophée Jean-Luc Lagardère in Paris, September 20-23rd, at the Lagardère Paris Racing Club. There, John McEnroe will take on a host of French Open greats such as Thomas Muster and Sergi Bruguera. For more information: http://www.trophee-jeanluclagardere.com/

After that, the tour will journey to Eindhoven for the Alex Tennis Classics, and then on to Liege, Frankfurt, Sao Paolo and London.

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS 2007 TOUR OF CHAMPIONS RANKINGS (after six events)

POS PLAYER                       PTS
1. Sergi Bruguera                1680
2. Cedric Pioline                  790
3. Thomas Muster               735
4. Henri Leconte                  635
5. Michael Stich                   585
6. Anders Jarryd                  480
7. Wayne Ferreira               450
8. Goran Ivanisevic              325
9. John McEnroe                 310
10. Jordi Arrese                    250
10. Fernando Meligeni          250
12. Carl-Uwe Steeb              200
13. Pat Cash                         160
14. Jeremy Bates                 80
14. Bjorn Borg                      80
14. Renzo Furlan                 80
14. Karel Novacek                80
18. Boris Becker                   60
18. Paolo Cane                     60
18. Andres Gomez               60
18. Magnus Gustafsson       60
18. Richard Krajicek             60
18. Nuno Marques                60

THE BLACKROCK TOUR OF CHAMPIONS CALENDAR 2007

BELFAST, Northern Ireland - February 22-25
(Winner: Anders Jarryd; Runner-up: Henri Leconte)

BARCELONA, Spain - April 19-22
(Winner: Sergi Bruguera; Runner-up: Jordi Arresi)

ROME, Italy - May 12-15
(Winner: Sergi Bruguera; Runner-up: Wayne Ferreira)

HAMBURG, Germany - May 17-20
(Winner: Sergi Bruguera; Runner-up: Thomas Muster)

ALGARVE, Portugal - August 7-10
(Winner: Sergi Bruguera; Runner-up: Fernando Meligeni)

GRAZ, Austria - August 14-18
(Winner: Michael Stich; Runner-up: Cedric Pioline)

PARIS, France - September 20-23

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands October 4-7

LIEGE, Belgium November 8-11

FRANKFURT, Germany - November 15-18

SAO PAOLO, Brazil – November 22-25

LONDON, UK - December 4-9

BlackRock is a premier provider of global investment management, risk management and advisory services to clients around the world. The rebrand from the Merrill Lynch Tour of Champions to the new BlackRock Tour of Champions, stemmed from the merger between BlackRock and Merrill Lynch Investment Managers on the 29th September 2006. This merger united the predominantly US fixed income institutional heritage of BlackRock with that of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers’ award-winning global retail equity franchise. The firm now offers a full range of equity, fixed income, cash management and alternative investment products with strong representation in both retail and institutional channels. Today, BlackRock serves clients in over 50 countries worldwide. Their client base includes insurance companies, third-party distributors, foundations, corporations, banks, IFAs and individuals across the globe. BlackRock is one of the world’s largest publicly traded investment management firms. As of December 31, 2006, the assets under management of BlackRock were $1.125 trillion.

South Africa's international flagship airline and the continent's most awarded carrier, South African Airways is the official airline of the BlackRock Tour of Champions. Its modern fleet features a comfortable Economy Class cabin recently reconfigured for extra legroom and a Premium Business Class cabin featuring the airline's award-winning, lie-flat seat. Complimentary South African wines, inspired cuisine and personal on-demand entertainment for all travellers make the trip to Africa fly by. Built on a venerable 72-year history of bringing the world to Africa and taking Africa to the world, the airline's network is unsurpassed on the continent - connecting travellers to more than 20 destinations within South Africa and more than 20 cities across Africa. As a recent member to the worldwide Star Alliance, South African Airways is now able to offer its customers 852 destinations in 152 countries and more than 15,500 flights daily.

For the Latest News, Features and Updates from the BlackRock Tour of Champions: www.blackrocktourofchampions.com <http://www.blackrocktourofchampions.com>