As the previous world No 4 Mary Joe Fernandez, who entered with the 1999 Wimbledon champion Lindsay Davenport, explains: “It’s nice enjoyable, like a faculty reunion.”
So as to add to the enjoyment of participating, there’s a £26,000 cheque for the profitable pairs, too.
For the spectators, the age vary of the gamers concerned means there’s a legend for everybody – from the trick-shot specialist Mansour Bahrami, 62, to youthful gamers just like the 2007 Australian Open runner-up Fernando Gonzalez, who is barely a yr older than Roger Federer.
Elsewhere, Martina Navratilova, Goran Ivanisevic and Kim Clijsters are among the many many former grand-slam champions concerned.
Exterior Courtroom No 12 yesterday, the queue snaked round to the neighbouring Courtroom No 3, as punters tried to catch a glimpse of the previous British No 1 Greg Rusedski and his French associate Fabrice Santoro.
As I enter the sun-kissed court docket, Santoro, a former top-20 participant and a shotmaker of such extravagance he earned the nickname “The Magician”, is delighting the group together with his wizardry.
