TennisGrandstand

Goran Ivanisevic has vowed to take revenge against Pete Sampras for ‘destroying his life’ when the pair meet at the BlackRock Masters Tennis in London, December 2-7, 2008.

Ivanisevic finished as the runner-up to Sampras in the 1994 and 1998 Wimbledon finals, and lost to the American in the 1995 semi finals, before eventually winning the title as a wild card in 2001.

The torture of those seven years from 1994-2001 has not been forgotten by Ivanisevic, and he cannot wait to meet Sampras at the Royal Albert Hall – the American’s first trip to London since his last Wimbledon in 2002.

“It’s great news that Pete is coming to London and I want to play him,” said Ivanisevic.

“This guy destroyed my life, so I at least need to play him at the BlackRock Masters, prepare properly and beat him at the Royal Albert Hall.”

Ivanisevic never reached World No.1 because Sampras was always standing in front of him. After losing the 1998 Wimbledon final to Sampras in five sets, Ivanisevic said: “It’s the worst moment in my life. I’ve had some bad moments when I’ve been sick or somebody died but, for me, this is the worst thing ever. I don’t know how I will get motivated to play tennis again.” Thankfully, he managed it, won Wimbledon in 2001, and tried, with a certain degree of success, not to be bitter towards Sampras.

“I can be proud that I was second behind the greatest player in the history of tennis,” said Ivanisevic, who beat Sampras six times, but only once at a Grand Slam tournament (the 1992 Wimbledon semi final).

“It is not only Pete’s fault that he destroyed my life – it is also my fault. In the 1998 Wimbledon final, I should have beaten him. When you have a couple of chances against Pete in a match as important as the Wimbledon final, you have to take them because he doesn’t give you many. Still, it was great to play in the same generation as him and to play him so many times. I beat him many times, but not when it was important.”

Sampras has not forgotten their Wimbledon encounters either.

“Goran was my rival at Wimbledon for so many years and I was someone that gave him some trouble there. He could have won a few more titles if I wasn’t around. It will be great to play him again and hopefully the result will still be the same!” he said.

Ivanisevic also hailed the addition of fellow Wimbledon champion Stefan Edberg to the BlackRock Masters Tennis field.

“Stefan is still in great shape, still playing good, and he is an unbelievably great player and a great person to have on the BlackRock Tour of Champions. More good people are coming on the Tour all the time,” said Ivanisevic.

“I will have to prepare well because it is going to be tough competition. I heard that Sampras even beat Roger Federer in an exhibition match, so I need to be ready. To beat Federer at tennis, on the Playstation, or anything else is a great achievement, so he must be feeling good.”

To book tickets to the BlackRock Masters Tennis, 2-7 December 2008, call the box office on 020 8233 5882 or book online at http://www.theblackrockmasters.com

For more information about the BlackRock Tour of Champions: http://www.blackrocktourofchampions.com

SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS 2008 TOUR OF CHAMPIONS RANKINGS (after five events)

POS.   PLAYER                                PTS

1          Michael Stich                        650

1=     Marcelo Rios                650

3          Anders Jarryd                       525

4          Pete Sampras                       400

5          Thomas Muster                    390

6          Pat Cash                               340

7=        Mikael Pernfors                    330

7=        Marc-Kevin Goellner (WC) 330

9          Goran Ivanisevic                  260

10        Henri Leconte                       240

11=     Chris Wilkinson (WC)         200

11=     Cedric Pioline                     200

11=     Jaime Oncins                       200

14=     Jeremy Bates (WC)              125

14=     Albert Costa                          125

14=     Fernando Meligeni  125

17=     Sergi Bruguera                    80

17=     Magnus Larsson             80

17=     John McEnroe          80

17=     Andrei Cherkasov    80

21=     Bjorn Borg                             60

21=     Carl Uwe Steeb        60

21=     Jaime Yzaga                         60

WC denotes Wild Card.

The BlackRock Tour of Champions Calendar 2008

Belfast, Northern Ireland    – February 21-24   (Tennis Legends) - Champions: Anders Jarryd; Runner-up: Mikael Pernfors

Barcelona, Spain                 – April 24-27 (Champions Cup ‘08) - Champion: Marcelo Rios; runner-up: Michael Stich

Rome, Italy                            – May 10-11 - Champion: Thomas Muster; runner-up: Goran Ivanisevic

Hamburg, Germany             – May 14-17 (BlackRock Tennis Classic)

Champion: Michael Stich; Runner-up: Marc-Kevin Goellner

Sao Paulo, Brazil                 – June 19-22 (Nossa Caixa Grand Champions Brasil)

Champion: Pete Sampras; Runner-up: Marcelo Rios

Istanbul, Turkey                   – July 17-20

Graz, Austria                         – July 29-August 2 (s Tennis Masters)

Algarve, Portugal                 – August 5-8 (Vale do Lobo Grand Champions CGD)

Paris, France                        – September 18-21 (5e Trophée Jean-Luc Lagardère)

Luxembourg, Luxembourg - September 25-28

Eindhoven, Netherlands    – October 2-5 (AFAS Tennis Classics)

Budapest, Hungary                         – October 9-12

Frankfurt, Germany             – November 13-16 (klarmobil.de Champions Trophy)

Brussels, Belgium               – November 20-23

London, UK              – December 2-7 (BlackRock Masters Tennis)

OTHER INFO

BlackRock is a premier provider of global investment management, riskmanagement 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.

BlackRock is one of the world’s largest publicly traded investment management firms. At December 31, 2007, BlackRock’s assets under management (AUM) was US$1.357 trillion. The firm manages assets on behalf of institutions and individuals worldwide through a variety of equity, fixed income, cash management and alternative investment products. In addition, a growing number of institutional investors use BlackRock Solutions(r) investment system, risk management and financial advisory services. Headquartered in New York City, as of December 31, 2007, the firm has approximately 5,500 employees in 19 countries and a major presence in key global markets, including the U.S., Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. For additional information, please visit the Company’s website at www.blackrock.com.

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

and for further information:

www.blackrockinternational.com/tourofchampions