Apr. 27, 2010: Tennis pro Jim Courier

>> Emily: BJORN BORG IS COMING

AND SO IS JOHN MCENROE.

THIS WEEKEND, SOME OF THE

BIGGEST NAMES IN OLD-TIME MEN'S

TENNIS WILL BE IN BOSTON TO PLAY

IN THE STAPLES CHAMPIONS CUP

TOURNAMENT.

AMONG THEM WILL BE HALL OF FAMER

AND FOUR-TIME GRAND SLAM

CHAMPION JIM COURIER WHO

LAUNCHED THE CHAMPIONS CUP TOUR

IN 2005, AND JIM COURIER IS

HERE.

WELCOME.

FIVE YEARS.

THIS HAS BEEN A SUCCESS ALL OVER

THE COUNTRY.

YOU TAKE THIS TOURNAMENT

EVERYWHERE.

>> ALL OVER THE WORLD.

OUR FIRST EVENT THIS SEASON WAS

IN RIO, DOWN IN BRAZIL, THIS IS

OUR SECOND, WE'LL BE IN DUBAI,

WE'LL BE IN THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

AS WELL AS SURPRISE, ARIZONA,

NEAR PHOENIX, AND CHARLOTTE, BUT

BOSTON IS ONE OF OUR ANCHOR

CITIES AND IT'S A GREAT TENNIS

MARKET.

>> Emily: DO YOU CHANGE THE

PLAYERS DEPENDING ON WHERE THE

TOURNAMENT IS PLAYED?

>> I THINK YOU WANT TO ROTATE

THE TALENT.

I THINK YOU WANT TO BRING IN NEW

STORIES SO THERE IS A FRESH FACE

FOR PEOPLE TO SEE, AND THIS YEAR

WE HAVE A COUPLE OF FRESH FACES

IN THE STAPLES CHAMPIONSHIP CUP,

MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS, YOUNGER

GENERATION, A WIMBLEDON FINALIST

AGAINST ROGER FEDERER WHEN

FEDERER WON HIS FIRST WIMBLEDON,

HAS BEEN A U.S. OPEN FINALIST AS

WELL AND PROBABLY ONE OF THE

HARDEST HITTING PLAYERS TENNIS

HAS EVER SEEN.

>> Emily: HE'S TALL TOO.

>> HE'S TALL, HE'S STRONG AND

HE'S ABOUT 32 YEARS OLD.

>> Emily: YOU'VE GOT A LOW

THRESHOLD CUTOFF HERE.

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

>> Emily: WHAT'S MCENROE NOW?

>> JOHN JUST TURNED 51.

>> Emily: YOU CAN BE ANY AGE

ABOVE 30?

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

AS LONG AS YOU CAN STILL BE

COMPETITIVE, WHICH JOHN

CERTAINLY STILL IS.

>> Emily: HOW DID YOU GET BORG?

YOU HAD A GREAT LINE WITH HIM

THE OTHER DAY, WE WERE TALKING

ON THE TELEPHONE, YOU SAID HE'S

BEEN LIKE THE GHOST OF TENNIS.

HE HAS THE GHOST-LIKE QUALITY

WITH THE GRAY MANE AND THE WHOLE

THING.

>> I HAVE BEEN CHASING BJORN,

BJORN HAS BEEN PLAYING SPARINGLY

IN EUROPE AND SOME IN ASIA.

HE'S COMPETITIVE, BUT HE LIKES

TO STAY HOME IN SWEDEN.

HE HAS A WIFE.

HE HAS SOME YOUNGER CHILDREN.

AND HE'S REALLY NOT INTERESTED

IN GOING OUT TOO MUCH, BUT WE

WERE PERSISTENT.

I REALLY WANTED BJORN TO BE PART

OF OUR CIRCUIT AT SOME POINT AND

THE MATCH-UP WITH BJORN AND JOHN

IS UNIQUE.

IT'S VERY SPECIAL.

THE FIRE AND THE ICE THEY

BROUGHT TO TENNIS AND THEY CAN

CONTINUE TO STILL BRING IT AND I

THINK PEOPLE REALLY RESONATE,

REALLY FEEL SOMETHING WHEN THEY

SEE THOSE GUYS ON THE COURT.

>> Emily: SO DIFFERENT

TEMPERAMENTALLY.

>> YES, THEY ARE.

>> Emily: WE WON'T GET INTO THAT

AGAIN.

HOW DOES IT WORK -- EIGHT

PLAYERS?

>> EIGHT PLAYERS.

>> Emily: YOU DO A ROUND ROBIN

AND THE ONE WITH THE MOST POINTS

AT THE END?

>> NO, THIS IS A SINGLE

ELIMINATION.

WE TINKERED WITH THE FORMAT.

WE START THURSDAY NIGHT.

BJORN WILL PLAY HIS OPENING

MATCH.

>> Emily: IS IT RIGGED?

>> PRIZE MONEY BUT NOT RIGGED.

BJORN PLAYS MICHAEL PERNFORS.

FRIDAY I'LL PLAY JIMMY ARIAS.

>> Emily: JIMMY ARIAS.

>> THEN JOHN MCENROE PLAYS MATS

WILANDER.

MATS WILANDER IS A SEVEN-TIME

CHAMPION.

JOHN IS A HEAVY FAVORITE.

IF JOHN AND BJORN WIN THEY WOULD

PLAY IN THE SEMIFINALS SATURDAY

NIGHT WHICH I THINK IS HIGHLY

LIKELY.

>> Emily: SAMPRAS IS NOT IN THIS

YEAR?

>> SAMPRAS IS NOT IN THIS YEAR.

>> Emily: DID HE PLAY ANY OF

YOUR TOURNAMENTS?

>> HE WILL PLAY SOME BUT HE

HASN'T PLAYED THIS YEAR.

THIS IS OUR SECOND TOURNAMENT OF

THE SEASON.

>> Emily: I SAID THIS THE OTHER

DAY, IT'S SO TRUE EVEN IF YOU

FOLLOW TENNIS NOW, NADAL,

FEDERER, ALL THESE TERRIFIC

TENNIS PLAYERS, THERE IS

SOMETHING ABOUT THAT GENERATION,

THE JIMMY CONNORS GROUP, WHAT IS

IT?

IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THEIR

NATIONALITIES WERE.

IT WAS A GROUP THAT ALWAYS --

>> I THINK THAT ALSO TENNIS WAS

TELEVISED ON NETWORK A LOT MORE

FREQUENTLY IN THOSE DAYS AND

THERE WERE MORE TOURNAMENTS IN

THE UNITED STATES, IT WAS MORE

ON THE RADAR SCREEN.

LISTEN, THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER

SPORTS OUT THERE COMPETING FOR

SPACE IN THE MEDIA LANDSCAPE

THESE DAYS.

TENNIS HAS GONE GLOBAL BUT IT'S

LEFT A LITTLE BIT OF AMERICA

BEHIND AND I THINK THAT'S WHY

PEOPLE ONLY REAL FEEL TENNIS AT

THE HIGHEST LEVEL HERE WHEN

WIMBLEDON AND THE U.S. OPEN AND

TO A LESSER EXTENT THE FRENCH

AND THE AUSTRALIAN COME AROUND.

>> Emily: A GOOD TENNIS TOWN,

USED TO HOST THE U.S. PRO

TOURNAMENT HERE BUT EVEN TEAM

TENNIS -- IT'S NEVER REALLY

CAUGHT ON HERE.

YOU THINK OF ALL PLACES, IT'S

NOT REALLY CAUGHT ON.

>> LISTEN, I THINK BOSTON IS A

CULTURED MARKET.

THEY WANT TO SEE BIG STARS.

THEY WANT TO SEE BIG NAMES.

I THINK TEAM TENNIS CAN GIVE YOU

THAT AT TIMES -- BUT NOT

NECESSARILY CONSISTENTLY, MAYBE

NOT EVERY SINGLE MATCH AND I

THINK THAT'S WHERE WE CAN

DIFFERENTIATE A LITTLE BIT, THE

STAPLES CHAMPIONS CUP, IF YOU'RE

A TENNIS FAN YOU KNOW ALL OF THE

PLAYERS PLAYING AND IF YOU'RE A

GENERAL SPORTS FAN YOU'RE GOING

TO KNOW BJORN, YOU ARE GOING TO

KNOW JOHN, YOU MIGHT NOT ME,

PHILIPPOUSSIS, WILANDER,

RECOGNIZABLE NAMES PLAYING

COMPETITIVELY.

>> Emily: HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT

OF DOING IT AS A MIXED

TOURNAMENT?

>> WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE

WOMEN.

WE HAD ANNA KOURNIKOVA AND TRACY

AUSTIN.

>> Emily: IS SHE 30 YET?

>> SHE'S NOT.

WE HAD HER PLAY LAST YEAR IN

MIXED DOUBLES AND TENNIS IS SO

MUCH STRONGER WHEN YOU COMBINE

MEN AND WOMEN BUT WHAT HASN'T

BEEN ABLE TO HAPPEN TO THIS

POINT IS TO GET PEOPLE LIKE

STEFFI GRAF AND GABRIELLA

SABBATINI AND MONICA SELES TO BE

COMPETITIVE.

THEY'LL PLAY A ONE-NIGHT

EXHIBITION BUT TO PUT THEM IN A

TOURNAMENT WITH PRIZE MONEY

WHICH IS WHAT WE STRESS, THAT

THIS IS A TRUE COMPETITIVE

ENVIRONMENT, THEY'RE NOT WILLING

TO DO IT AND IT'S BEEN REGRETFUL

BECAUSE PEOPLE ENGAGE EVEN MORE

WHEN YOU COM-- WHEN YOU COMBINE

THE SEXES IN TENNIS.

>> MARTINA DID IT BUT SADLY

SHE'S SUFFERING BREAST CANCER.

>> SHE WILL BEAT IT.

SHE GOT IT EARLY, NOT AS EARLY

AS SHE WOULD HAVE LIKED BUT I

TALKED TO HER ON EMAIL THE OTHER

DAY, AND IF ANYONE IS

COMPETITIVE AND IS GOING TO

SMOKE CANCER IT'S GOING TO BE

MARTINA.

>> Emily: AGASSI IS PLAYING.

NOT HERE BUT IN THE WEST.

>> HE PLAYED OUR --

>> Emily: WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE

HIM HERE.

>> WE WOULD TO BRING HIM HERE.

IT'S MORE A QUESTION OF SCHEDULE

WITH ANDRE.

>> Emily: THE KIDS.

>> HE'S GOT A FAMILY LIFE, FOR

SURE, HIS KIDS ARE REALLY CUTE

AND THEY'RE ALSO AT THAT AGE HIS

SON IS PLAYING A LOT OF BASEBALL

AND HE WANTS TO BE THERE FOR

THOSE MOMENTS WHICH HE DESERVES.

>> Emily: JIM COURIER.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE

TOURNAMENT.

THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY,

SUNDAY.

JIM, GREAT TO HAVE YOU HERE.

>> THANKS.

>> Emily: THAT IS IT FOR

"GREATER BOSTON."

TOMORROW NIGHT A MAN AND HIS

EYEWITNESS PICTURES OF THE

ICELANDIC VOLCANO.

THAT AND MORE TOMORROW AT 7:00.

I'M EMILY ROONEY.

GOODNIGHT.