By TennisGrandstand

NEW YORK, January 27, 2009 - InsideOut Sports & Entertainment today announced that Patrick Rafter of Australia will make his debut on the Outback Champions Series tennis circuit at the Del Mar Development Champions Cup to be held March 18-22 at the Palmilla Tennis Club in Los Cabos, Mexico. The Del Mar Development Champions Cup is a first-year event on the 2009 Outback Champions Series, the global tennis circuit for champion tennis players age 30 and over.

Rafter, 36, is best known for his back-to-back victories at the U.S. Open in 1997 and 1998, becoming the first Australian man to win the event since John Newcombe in 1973. A 2006 inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Rafter also reached the men’s singles final at Wimbledon in 2000 and 2001, losing to Pete Sampras and Goran Ivanisevic, respectively. Ranked No. 1 in the world for one week in 1999, Rafter was a stalwart on Australia’s Davis Cup team from 1994 to 2001, helping his nation to the title in 1999, although not playing the final. He won 11 career singles title and 10 career doubles titles before ending his ATP career in 2001.

“I’m excited to play with the guys on the Outback Champions Series in Los Cabos, which looks like a spectacular place,” said Rafter. “I know the competition will be tough but I’ll be aiming to win.”

“Patrick Rafter is one of the great champions and fan favorites in tennis and we welcome his long anticipated debut on the Outback Champions Series,” said Jon Venison, co-founding partner of InsideOut Sports & Entertainment and the Outback Champions Series.

The Del Mar Champions Cup is the third of eight events on the 2009 Outback Champions Series and will be contested on an outdoor hard court. The tournament will feature a field of six champion players competing in a single knock-out format event, vying for $150,000 in prize money and ranking points that determine the year-end No. 1 ranked player on the Outback Champions Series. Rafter joins former world No. 1 Jim Courier in the field with the final four tournament competitors to be announced in the near future.

The tournament will kick off on Wednesday, March 18 with a special “Mexico Day,” featuring a children’s clinic and an exhibition doubles match. Quarterfinal play will be contested on Thursday, March 19 while the semifinals will be played on Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21. The final and third-place playoff will take place Sunday, March 22. Ticket, travel and tournament information can be found by visiting www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.

The 2009 Outback Champions Series will kick off Feb. 13-15 in Boston, Mass., at the Champions Cup Boston. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will host the Rio Champions Cup - the second event of the 2009 series - March 12-15. Following the Del Mar Champions Cup, Outback Champions Series events will be staged in Grand Cayman (April 24-26), Newport, R.I. (August 20-23), Charlotte, N.C. (Sept. 25-27), Surprise, Ariz. (Oct. 9-11), and Dubai, U.A.E. (Nov. 19-22).

Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including 14-time major tournament champion Pete Sampras, four-time U.S. Open champion John McEnroe, two-time French and Australian Open champion Jim Courier and others. To be eligible to compete on the Outback Champions Series, players must have reached at least a major singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team. The year-end No. 1 ranked player on the Series will receive a $100,000 bonus courtesy of Stanford Financial Group, the official rankings sponsor of the Outback Champions Series.

InsideOut Sports & Entertainment is a New York City-based independent producer of proprietary events and promotions founded in 2004 by former world No. 1 and Hall of Fame tennis player Jim Courier and former SFX and Clear Channel executive Jon Venison. In 2005, InsideOut launched its signature property, the Outback Champions Series, a collection of tennis events featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including one-night “Legendary Night” exhibitions as well as charity events and tennis fantasy camps, including the annual Ultimate Fantasy Camp. Through 2008, InsideOut Sports & Entertainment events have raised over $4 million for charity. For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com or www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.