Legends will be back to 'rock' Dubai

The court has been removed and the tennis legends have left the country.

Speaking almost a week after the tennis exhibition which saw crowds at the Madinat Arena mesmerized by the on-court antics of the likes of John McEnroe and Björn Borg, Dowlatshahi expressed his delight at the success of the event. 'The remake of the great rivalry between Borg and McEnroe kept all its promises,' he said. 'Everybody present saw the excellent quality of tennis which reached incredible highs'. 'Taking a look ahead to next year, Dowlatshahi added: 'Now its time for the younger players of the senior tour to come to Dubai.

'We are hoping next year to have at least three or four grand slam champions of the 90s here in Dubai. 'All I can say for now is that this event is just going to become bigger and bigger.'

Presented by HSBC, The Legends 'Rock' Dubai 2006 saw eight former tennis greats battling it out at the Madinat Arena last week. Apart from Borg and McEnroe, whose epic rivalry was a highlight of the 70s and 80s, the other players who drew in the capacity crowds over the two-day event were Henri Leconte, Guy Forget, Ilie Nãstase, Mansour Bahrami, Emilio Sanchez and Peter McNamara.

Also forming part of the festivities was a Kids' Day, where 350 children got the opportunity to learn from the Legends, as well as a Pro-Am and Gala Dinner which raised over US$100 000 for both the event's charities - the King Hussein Cancer Foundation and the Dubai Center for Special Needs.