LEGENDARY NIGHTS

LEGENDARY NIGHT - OTTAWA - SEPTEMBER 24, 2005 - OTTAWA, CANADA
TENNIS EXHIBITION AT THE COREL CENTRE



They hadn't seen it before and they will not soon forget it...big-time tennis arrived in Ottawa for the first time with a bang on Saturday night. John McEnroe, Anna Kournikova, Jim Courier and Jana Novotna took the court before 5,000 screaming fans at the Corel Centre and lit the building up with fierce competition, acrobatic highlight shots, combustable behavior and some help from their young friends.

First up, the ladies took the court to a thunderous ovation as emcee Wayne Bryan got the crowd roaring. Novotna took her patented attacking game to the spirited Russian early on and the severity of her sliced approach shots worked their magic on the crowd favorite, who elicited whistles of delight when she removed her green warm-up top to reveal a form fitting red outfit. Kournikova put up strong resistance in the one-set match but eventually the applied pressure was too great and Novotna swept to a 6-3 victory.

Next, Hall of Famers John McEnroe and Jim Courier took the battlefield and amped the crowd to another level. With Courier serving effectively and controlling play with his forehand and McEnroe slicing and dicing in his own magical way this one was destined to go the distance but not without some theatrics from both players. McEnroe drew first blood with a look at his "tan lines" after a questioned call and Courier came right back, firing a ball into the upper deck in disgust over another disputed call. One exchange found Courier seated in the lap of a linesman as McEnroe ran down the ball and smacked it into the open court for a winner, pumping his fists all the way. After a tug of war between the two former world #1's the pro-set match would end in a tiebreak with McEnroe prevailing by the score of 8-7 (4).

In the final match of the evening, mixed doubles, Courier and Novotna enlisted some local aid in the form of Ottawa natives, 17 year old Jesse Levine and 13 year old Gabriella Dabrowski who had the crowd on their feet, combining with the veterans to take on McEnroe and Kournikova in the one-set match. The tennis was breathtaking and, at times, playful as the players wore microphones to let the crowd in on the banter. Quick volley exchanges with all players at the net created highlights and Levine got the reward he desired for his efforts; a kiss from Anna K at the end of the event.

After signing autographs and posing for pictures, the players and fans both left the arena knowing they had been a part of something special. Big time tennis came to Ottawa's Corel Centre for the first time. It surely will not be the last.