Retired men’s tennis champion Andre Agassi gets off the couch and goes head-to-head with top-shelf competitors in a major tournament at Surprise Tennis and Racquet Club in October. Get the skinny on event details and match lineups.

His name alone is enough to make Valley tennis fans race to the Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex this month to catch a glimpse of the legend's speedy feet and powerful backhand strokes. At least that’s what organizers of the second-annual Cancer Treatment Centers of America tournament in Surprise are hoping.
 
The retired world tennis champion will headline the tournament, held October 8-11, where he will battle for bucks and bragging rights. The tournament is one stop on the 2009 Outback Champions series, Agassi’s first professional tournament since he retired three years ago.
 
The series features eight former pros, each of whom have been ranked in the top fie nationally, won a Davis Cup or won a grand slam.
 
This event is viewed as an avenue for retired players with exceptional credentials to continue gaining exposure, says Chris Brewer, Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex supervisor.
 
“We’re still talking the best of the best,” Brewer says. “They’re just no longer playing on the regular professional tennis tour.”
 
Last year, John McEnroe headlined and won the CTCA in Surprise. Eighty percent The tennis club sold 80 percent of tickets sold for that tournament, but John Austin, manager of the tennis complex, expects a full house this year because the players will be even more accessible. Ticket holders will be able to observe practice time and sign their kids up for a free lesson with the pros.
 
In addition to Agassi, Jim Courier, Wayne Ferreira and Mark Philippoussis are some of the big names battling for the $150,000 prize this year. Courier, in fact, is the one responsible for the tournament’s Surprise location. He started the Outback Champions tour and wanted it to branch out West, according to Brewer. “[Courier] knew that our facility could host a professional event because we already had done so, and because of some of the goals of the city, it was a good partnership,” Brewer says.
 
Could this star-studded tournament be Agassi’s big comeback?
 
His chances to win are excellent, Brewer says. “John McEnroe won this tournament last year; I see no reason why Agassi can’t do the same this year.”