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Eight legendary players have arrived at the Sichuan International Tennis Center to contest the inaugural Chengdu Open, an ATP Champions Tour Event, from November 5-8, 2009. American John McEnroe and Swede Bjorn Borg will compete in the event, reigniting one of most celebrated sports rivalries of all time. Fellow Swede Thomas Enqvist, the current No.1 on the ATP Champions Tour confessed, "Every time I see an old match between McEnroe and Borg I cannot stop watching. It's so much fun."

Meanwhile, McEnroe is focused on proving to Chengdu fans that, "The old guys still have something left in them. This is our first Champions tour event in China so we're very excited about playing in this great stadium. "

Borg added, "It's always a big thrill to be back, I've been here quite a few times but never in Chengdu. Looking forward to this week. My mission is to bring a giant panda back t o Stockholm."

World-renowned players Goran Ivanisevic, Pat Cash, Thomas Enqvist, Sergi Bruguera, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, and Michael Chang will also compete at the outdoor hard court event. Altogether, the all-star lineup holds 25 Grand Slam singles championships, as well as Olympic gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Chang, a Chinese-American who enjoyed particular success on Asian soil during his ATP World Tour career, won 12 of the 17 Asian finals he reached. He is the only male player to play a final in every Asian city that hosted a tournament during his time on the tour. Despite being a fan favorite, by no means does Chang anticipate an easy tournament. "Obviously, there's a lot of talent, a lot of passion and a lot of great tennis play," said Chang. "This is a very special event for all of us, but I can say that for me personally I'm very proud to be up here with such great champions. I hope the people in Chengdu will realize the accomplishments of all of these players. This is going to be a great week of tennis."

Former ATP World Tour No. 1, Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov added, "We all know how passionate Chinese people are for the sport and we are quite thankful that they are doing so much for tennis."

"It was about a year ago that Chengdu was devastated by the earthquake and we at the tournament hope that these great athletes can add a bit happiness to many people in the area," said Jan Felgate, CEO of the ATP Champions Tour.

Thursday the 5th through Saturday the 7th will feature four matches a day, staggered so that fans won't miss a moment. On Sunday November 8th, the playoff for third and fourth place will start in the afternoon, with the final to follow.

Staged in the Chinese province famous for its eye-watering, mouth-burning spices, the tantalizing matchups featured in the Chengdu Open promise to be just as exciting and flavorful.