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Legends Cup 2016 Review

An exciting tennis competition featuring international legends

featured in Events reviews Author Jose Rains, Mallorca Reporter Updated

Last weekend Mallorca’s capital hosted the Legends Cup, a tennis tournament a part of the exclusive ATP Champions Tour. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday evening than being a part of this intimate sporting event, so decided to pop along for Saturday evening’s semi-finals.

Here’s a bit of background for you: having held its first Legends Cup tournament last year to mark its official opening, Palma Sport & Tennis Club once again welcomed back some familiar faces for the Legends Cup 2016. So from the 6th to the 9th October, world-famous players (Carlos Moyá, Mats Wilander, Carl-Uwe Steeb, Tim Henman, Henri Leconte, Alex Corretja, Mansour Bahrami & Mikael Pernfors) came to Palma to participate in the competition.

Tickets were available to buy online months in advance, general entrance tickets a mere 35€ for adults and 20€ for children. For those after a more lavish experience, VIP tickets were available for a punchy 225€ per person. The VIP experience included drinks and tapas throughout the evening, as well as access to the VIP balcony and the all-important access to the players’ party. So well worth it if you are a keen tennis fan wanting to rub shoulders with the players! There were also VIP boxes available from 1100€ for groups and corporate events.

Having booked general entrance tickets for the Saturday, we arrived at 17:45 for a 18:00 start just as the sun disappeared behind the buildings surrounding the elite tennis club. The tickets we had printed off at home were exchanged for some (rather bright) pink ‘Legends Cup’ wristbands by some friendly staff, all immaculately dressed in white.

Once we were in, we checked out the players’ board where we saw the line-up for the evening;
Wilander VS Henman (men's singles)
Moyá VS Corretja (men's singles)
Bahrami & Steeb VS Leconte & Pernfors (doubles).

Wandering up the steps and towards crowds of people, we made our way to the court. The stands were already dominated by more than 1000 tennis fans of varying nationalities and ages waiting eagerly to see their favourite tennis heroes. Seats were first come, first served basis and luckily we managed to grab some seats on the first row, feeling extremely smug with ourselves when we discovered we were positioned right by the players’ entrance.

Having spotted a bar on the way to our seats, we decided to get a round in before the start of the first match. There was a sociable atmosphere behind the stands where drinks were already flowing and groups gathered around tables to watch the tennis from a perfectly elevated position by the bar. There was something for everyone with soft drinks (2€), wine (3€ a glass), beers (starting at 2€), spirits and mixers (from 7€) and champagne (7€ a glass). Deciding to kick off the evening with a refreshing gin and tonic (7€) we headed back to our seats to settle in for the evening.

First up, was Tim Henman, former British Number 1 (1996 & from 1999 to 2005), against Mats Wilander, former World Number 1 (1988) tennis player from Sweden. An entertaining match to watch, with plenty of joking around between players and the audience, however, Henman’s classic serve-and-volley game was stronger than Wilander’s game leading to a defeat of 7-6 (5), 6-2.

Between the first and second match, I decided to have a wander around the tennis club to check out the pop-up stalls. I hadn’t banked on the mini foodie explosion with a choice of gourmet hot dogs, croquetas, guacamole ceviche, as well as tacos. Unfortunately, we had dinner reservations later in the evening so had to refrain from trying some of the delicious food on offer.

For those who love a bit of merchandise, they could get their fix here! I want to mention the extremely cool looking ‘Legends Cup’ reusable drinking bottles on sale to support Asociación Ondine. This organization works to reduce plastic pollution and, having taken an interest, the volunteers working at this event were extremely effective at promoting single-use plastic whilst discussing some of the amazing marine life we have here in the Balearic Islands.

After a good 20 minutes of wandering around, I headed back to the bar on the way to my seats and picked up a glass of champagne (recommended by a fellow friend who is a bit of a wine connoisseur). ‘Champagne Barons du Rothschild’ it was called and was some of the tastiest champagne I have ever tried. So keep your eye out for it in future! On the way back to the court, I took a peek at the cordoned-off VIP area where guests were receiving drinks and canapes throughout the evening.

As I reached my seat, Mallorca native Carlos Moyá and defending Legends Cup champion Alex Corretja were warming up against each other. As play started, the crowd was tense and the players clearly had history together. Perhaps Moyá was feeling the pressure being a Mallorca native? Although he left fans with plenty to cheer about by defeating the fellow Spaniard and defending champion 6-3, 7-6 (3).

This game was followed by a doubles match between tennis legends Bahrami & Steeb VS Leconte & Pernfors (7-6) and, whilst it didn’t seem quite as competitive as the previous two games, it certainly didn’t disappoint with the remarkable chemistry between the players.

Grab friends, family, work colleagues and visit this incredible event next year!


For those interested in who won the finals on Sunday:
Carlos Moyá became winner of the Legends Cup 2016 as he beat Tim Henman 6-3, 7-5.
Alex Corretja stole 3rd place from Mats Wilander 6-4, 7-5.
Mansour Mahrami & Henri Leconte took the double title against Mikael Pernfors & Carl –Uwe Steeb 7-67.

Location

Map of the surrounding area