Rincon to Compete in ATP Champions Tour
May 19, 2011
Coral Gables, Fla… University of Miami head men’s tennis coach Mario Rincon is returning to competitive tennis this week, participating in the Seguros Bolivar Tennis Champions event in Bogota, Colombia, from May 19-22 at the Palacio de los Deportes.
It marks the second year for the event, which is part of the ATP Champions Tour. The Tour brings together many of the greatest tennis players in history for tournaments around the world. Events are typically comprised of eight-man fields competing against each other in a round-robin format, ensuring all players compete in at least three matches.
The players are split into two groups of four. The top player from each group competes in the final, while the two players who finish second in each group play off for third and fourth places respectively.
Rincon, who is from Colombia, joins a prominent 2011 field in Bogota. In Rincon’s group are three players previously ranked No. 1 in the world – Carlos Moya, Thomas Muster and Yevgeny Kafelnikov. The other group includes three players previously ranked among the world’s top 15 in Mark Philippoussis, 2010 event champion Thomas Enqvist and Younes El Aynaoui, in addition to Mauricio Hadad.
“It is great honor to compete at a Champions Tour event alongside former No. 1 players in the world – players that dominated the professional rankings for years,” said Rincon. “It is a privilege to compete against players of this caliber, and is an invaluable experience for me as a college tennis coach.
Over the weekend, Rincon concluded his seventh season at the helm of Miami’s men’s tennis program, leading the Hurricanes to a 15-9 overall record, a fourth-place finish in the ACC and to their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last six seasons.
And now Rincon will return to competition.
An All-American at Kentucky, Rincon spent nine years (1989-98) on the ATP tour, playing in each of the four Grand Slam venues: the U.S. Open, French Open, Wimbledon and Australian Open. As a professional, he was ranked as high as No. 193 on the ATP tour and was consistently ranked among the top 200 from 1994-96. In addition, he spent five years (1993-97) on the Japanese pro tour, where he was ranked as high at No. 2 in singles, and was also a member of the Colombian Davis Cup team for nine years (1989-98).
To be eligible to compete on the ATP Champions Tour, players must have been either a World No. 1 during their competitive playing careers, a Grand Slam singles finalist, or a singles player in a victorious Davis Cup team; and they should have retired from the ATP circuit. Each event can also invite two players of its choice to take wild cards.
“I was one of the best players in Colombia for many years,” said Rincon. “The organization of the tournament rewarded me with this invitation based on the fact that I am still involved in tennis, and that I continue to stay active practicing with our tennis team.
“I´m so fired up and I can´t wait to get on the court with these guys.”
