Patrick Rafter will face two-time Grand Slam finalist Cedric Pioline in his opening match on the BlackRock Tour of Champions in Graz on Tuesday.

Playing in his first event on the circuit of former World No.1s, Grand Slam singles champions and finalists, and Davis Cup winners, the Australian will also need to find a way past home favourite Thomas Muster and Henri Leconte. If he reaches the final, he could set up a possible repeat of the 2001 Wimbledon final against Goran Ivanisevic.

In Group B, Ivanisevic will take on fellow Wimbledon winner Michael Stich, former World No.1 Marcelo Rios and Carl-Uwe Steeb.

Its probably the first time since retirement that I have actually felt this way, said Rafter, when asked why he had decided to return to tennis after seven years away from the sport.

“This year I have decided to get fit again. I train about 5 days a week which is gym, running and some other interesting fitness techniques. I surf as much as I can as well.  I understand quite a few of the players play the tournaments (on the BlackRock Tour of Champions) so while it would be great to win in Graz, I just want to play well.”

All players in each group will play each other over the first three days, and the players finishing top of each group will meet each other in the final. Those finishing second in each group will contest the 3rd/4th place play-off.

Matches are played over the best of three sets, with a Champions Tie-break (first to 10 points with a clear advantage of two) to decide the winner.

Two weeks ago in Istanbul, Ivanisevic won the Turkcell Legends Cup to move to No.1 in the South African Airways Champions Tour Rankings.

After Graz, the Tour will move on to Algarve, Portugal for the Vale do Lobo Grand Champions CGD (August 5-8).

To go inside the Borg/McEnroe rivalry and watch an exclusive video, click here: http://www.blackrocktourofchampions.com

On-site contact: Martin Dagahs  mdagahs@atptennis.com or +43 316 572 618

Thomas Muster                  0-0 (0-0)

Patrick Rafter 0-0 (0-0)

Cedric Pioline                     0-0 (0-0)

Henri Leconte  0-0 (0-0)

Goran Ivanisevic 0-0 (0-0)

Marcelo Rios  0-0 (0-0)

Michael Stich 0-0 (0-0)

Marc-Kevin Goellner 0-0 (0-0)

14.00                                Marcelo Rios vs Michael Stich

Followed by                    Patrick Rafter vs Cedric Pioline

Followed by                    Thomas Muster vs Henri Leconte

Winner   400 points

Finalist   250 points

3rd place   200 points

4th place   125 points

5/6th place 80 points

7/8th place 60 points

1 Goran Ivanisevic 660

2 Michael Stich             650

2=     Marcelo Rios               650

4 Anders Jarryd 525

5 Thomas Muster 515

6  Pat Cash    420

7= Pete Sampras 400

7= Cedric Pioline              400

9 Fernando Meligeni 375

10= Mikael Pernfors 330

10= Marc-Kevin Goellner (WC) 330

12 Henri Leconte 240

13= Chris Wilkinson (WC) 200

13= Jaime Oncins 200

15 Sergi Bruguera            160

16= Jeremy Bates (WC)    125

16= Albert Costa                 125

18= Magnus Larsson              80

18=  John McEnroe 80

18= Andrei Cherkasov 80

21= Bjorn Borg    60

21=  Carl Uwe Steeb 60

21= Jaime Yzaga 60

21= Alladin Karagoz (WC)        60

21= Andrei Chesnokov 60

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

Champion: Goran Ivanisevic; Runner-up: Fernando Meligeni

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 Trophe Jean-Luc Lagardre)

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)

About BlackRock

BlackRock is one of the world’s largest publicly traded investment management firms. At June 30, 2008, BlackRock’s AUM was $1.428 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 investment system, risk

management and financial advisory services. Headquartered in New York City, as of June 30, 2008, the firm has approximately 5,700 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

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