The Cliff Richard Tennis Classic

Excitement is now building for the Tennis Classic 2002 which is now just days away on the 14th of December 2002.

This year looks set to be our biggest yet and marks another major milestone for the Tennis Foundation. It seems like only yesterday that Cliff and Sue Barker organised the first 'Mixed Doubles' event down at the Brighton Centre in 1983, yet here we are in 2002, holding our 20th Pro-Celebrity tennis tournament.

This year promises you more of the excitement that you have come to expect, with the usual mix of exciting tennis action, comedy, entertainment and music, plus of course, the regular favourites such as the lucky brochure and raffle prize draws.

We've had a lot of enquiries about the line-up for the event so here's a sneak preview of who you can expect to see at this year's show.

The Tennis Classic

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The Team Captains

As always, Cliff will be the captain of one team, while one of his show business friends will captain the other.

This year we will be joined by Rudy Walker (Patrick from 'Eastenders'.) Rudolph has had a long career in film, television and stage. Some of you may remember him starring as Bill Reynolds in the 1970s sit-com 'Love Thy Neighbour'. In 1998 he appeared in the stage production of 'The Iceman Cometh' at the Old Vic Theatre, and apart from his regular stint in Eastenders, he recently appeared in the film 'Ali G In Da House'.

The Tennis Players

Joining the teams this year we have some truly world-class tennis players. Last year, John Lloyd was unable to make the event so Pat Cash stepped in at the last minute. This year we delighted to report that John will be at the event and joining Rudy's team, along with player turned commentator Andrew Castle.

Also on Rudy's team will be a true legend in Tennis. Virginia Wade was ranked the number 1 player in Great Britain for 10 consecutive years and ranked in the World Top 10, continuously from 1967 to 1979. As many will remember, it was in 1977 that Virginia won the singles title at Wimbledon, the last British player to win the Championships. We're delighted that Virginia is joining us at our 20th Pro-Celebrity Tennis Event and it will be an honour to have a true champion in our midst.

As you can see, Captain Cliff faces some stiff competition this year. However, he does have some impressive talent on his team that is guarenteed to provide some exciting tennis action.

Annabel Croft learned to play tennis at the age of nine, and by 15 was the youngest Briton to play at Wimbledon for nearly 100 years. After establishing herself as Britain's Number One women's player at the age of 21, Annabel retired from the international circuit and embarked on an exciting career in television, presenting the top-rating show, 'Treasure Hunt' and her own action and adventure series, 'The Interceptor'

Also joining Cliff's team will be Peter Flemming and Roger Taylor. Peter Flemming had a hugely successful career in tennis. With singles wins over Borg, McEnroe and Nastase, he achieved his highest singles ranking of number 8 in the world in 1980. With John McEnroe as his partner he won four Doubles titles at Wimbledon and 3 US Open Doubles Titles.

Roger Taylor is another former British Number One. He turned Pro in 1968 and reached the semi finals of Wimbledon three times. He was also the winner of the US Open Doubles in 1971 and 1972, earning him a career best of 7th in the World. Since then he has played 47 Davis Cup Matches for Great Britain and is now the current Davis Cup Captain.

The Celebrities

As always, the teams wouldn't be complete without the celebrity support and this year, Cliff is joined by singer Elaine Paige. Hailed as 'The First Lady of British Musical Theatre', Elaine Paige has starred in numerous West End productions and on Broadway. Elaine is making her second appearance here at our annual tennis event and it's a pleasure to see her back for a rematch. Look out for her duet with Cliff during the course of the evening!

In addition to Elaine Paige we also have a couple of other celebrities who will be at the Tennis Classic. However, we don't want to give everything away before the event, so look out for some surprise appearances on the night!

The Presenters

Mike Read: DJ, songwriter, author, composer, poet, and tennis player all rolled into one! Mike is a regular at our annual tennis event and as you might expect, he will be conducting his famous rendition of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'! This year Mike will be joined on stage by Claire Sweeney

Last year Claire captured everyone's attention with her appearance on 'Celebrity Big Brother. This year Claire has been involved with various TV projects, an acclaimed starring role in the West End production of 'Chicago' and the ultimate accolade 'This Is Your Life'. She has also spent a large part of the year working on her solo album. So in addition to co- presenting with Mike, she will also entertaining us with her considerable vocal talents.

A Very Special Prize

To mark the occasion of our 20th Tennis Event, this year, along we are holding a special raffle with a unique prize. Tickets will be on sale on the day and one lucky winner drawn on the night will then go on court to partner Sir Cliff in one of his tennis matches!

Would you like to go on court with Sir Cliff, centre stage at the NIA? This is the chance of a lifetime for any fan, so if you're coming along to the NIA on the 14th, be sure to buy one of the special tickets. You might also want to bring your tennis shoes with you just in case!

And Finally...

This Years Tennis Classic will commence at 4.30pm and finish at 9pm.