The upcoming XL Capital Bermuda Open could be smashed off the court by a new exhibition spectacle which will be part of the annual festivities.

Organisers yesterday announced a stellar line-up of former tennis pros for the inaugural Champions Challenge to be featured alongside the Open ? an ATP Tour Challenger event ? at Coral Beach Club.

American Jim Courier, Mats Wilander and Mikael Pernfors of Sweden and Frenchman Henri Leconte have all signed up for the April 11-17, head-to-head competition as part of plans to offer ?enhanced entertainment opportunities for spectators and sponsors over the last three days of the tournament?.

The four boast a combined total of 68 singles titles with Wilander and Courier ? both of whom were ranked number one during their careers ? having seven and four Grand Slam victories respectively.

Leconte and Pernfors were both beaten finalists at the French Open on one occasion each. The latter won the first Bermuda Open in 1993 and has returned to the Island consistently to participate in the Legends Exhibition which is a staple on the final day of the Open.

?The (Champions Challenge) matches will bring a high level of tennis between past champions with added start quality and a special breed of humour and entertaining personalities,? noted a Press bulletin.

Tournament director Alec Anderson is confident the addition of this element will boost the Bermuda Open?s profile and its ?entertainment quality?.

The Champions Challenge will start on April 15 and continue the following evening. The players will compete in a best two-out-of-three sets with a ten-point tiebreak.

Given the appeal of these veterans, tennis fans are likely to turn out in strong numbers for what is supposed to be a side attraction.

?I am looking forward to playing in Bermuda for the first time. I have heard great things about the XL Capital Bermuda Open and I?m excited to be competing in this inaugural event,? said Courier in a brief statement.

Courier, who won two Australian and French Opens in 1992 and 1993, spent 58 weeks at number one while at the pinnacle of his game. He will be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in July.

Wilander, who rose to the top spot in 1988 after one of the most famous five-set marathons to wrest the US Open from Czech Ivan Lendl, is the only player in the Open era to capture four Grand Slams before the age of 21.

Leconte, who successfully partnered compatriot Yannick Noah to win the 1984 doubles crown before their home crowd at the French Open, is renowned as one of tennis? top showmen. The former world number five?s antics and talent are bound to captivate spectators.

No stranger to Bermuda, Pernfors, who captured three titles in his pro career, has been a favourite at the Open since his 1993 triumph. Today he plays on the Worldwide Seniors Tour.

Meanwhile, Press Officer for the Bermuda Open Zoe Mulholland said it would not be known before mid-March which players will compete here this year.

?After the Australian Open we will have a better idea of what the tournament rankings are. It?s all to do with rankings and we don?t know who will sign up for the event.

?They have until three weeks before the tournament to sign up and that?s when we will get the list from the ATP about who is coming,? she explained.