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Legends do more than play

Courier, Evert, Kournikova and McEnroe hold court with clinics.

By KEITH NIEBUHR
Published April 6, 2006

TAMPA - John McEnroe still has the fire, Chris Evert the grace, Jim Courier the skill, Anna Kournikova the look. And each, as they showed during Wednesday night's Mercedes-Benz Classic at the St. Pete Times Forum, still knows how to put on a show.

Before an announced crowd of 8,552, the famed quartet, each as well-known off the court as on it, entertained fans with powerful serves, topspin forehands, dazzling volleys, overhead smashes and playful banter. All for charity. Proceeds benefit the Raymond James Courier's Kids Foundation, which sponsors the First Serve program at the St. Petersburg Tennis Center.

"I always try to help out (Courier) because he's always helped me out," said Evert, 51, who won the first of her 154 singles titles 35 years ago in St. Petersburg.

Before competing, the players did some teaching.

During an afternoon visit to the tennis center, where some 300 children participate in First Serve, an after-school program for children 4-18 that combines classroom tutoring and tennis instruction in a safe environment, the stars showcased their talents with a hands-on clinic.

"It was electric," center instructor Motez Robinson Jr. said.

Many children, like 10-year-old Maurice Bryant, hit balls with the legends.

"On a scale of one to 10, I'd give Jim Courier a 10," Bryant said.

At the Forum, the night began with a singles match between McEnroe and Courier, who have become close friends and are regular competitors in the Champions Series, a group of senior circuit tournaments. Courier, a Dade City native, often displayed the inside-out forehand that guided him throughout his Hall of Fame career. McEnroe, even at 47, showed off great movement and a touch around the net that was nothing short of amazing. And, of course, at times, he flashed his temper.

After dumping a shot into the net during a first-set tiebreaker, McEnroe took several swipes at the ground. When he lost the next point, he tossed his racket.

The crowd, naturally, roared both times.

McEnroe later voiced his displeasure with a line call, asking the official, "You couldn't see that one?" before looking away and shaking his head in disgust. He topped things off by jokingly mooning the crowd.

After Courier finished off McEnroe, Courier and Evert played McEnroe and Kournikova in mixed doubles. For that match, players wore microphones. Many of the night's loudest cheers came when the 24-year-old Kournikova entered the court.

[Last modified April 6, 2006, 01:59:19]