Steffi Graf, one of the top women's tennis players of all time, is to run a tennis camp at Elbow Beach next year, it has been confirmed.

Graf, who announced her retirement from the game only two weeks ago, is expected to be joined by legends Martina Navritilova, John McEnroe, Illie Nastase and Billy Jean King for at least part of the eight-day camp.

The event will provide a huge boost for sports tourism and is likely to attract visitors willing to pay a substantial fee to play with the tennis heroes.

Tourism officials are likely to promote the camp as they have done with other attractions, such as the Bermuda Jazz Festival and the Cup Match holiday.

Steffi Graf to headline camp High profile events such as sports or culture provide public relations opportunities in the US and can provide the focus for package holidays on the Island.

The German star, now aged 30, whose presence on the Island was revealed by Elbow Beach director of tennis David Lambert, is reportedly planning to start her series of camps next spring after expressing an interest in travelling the world now that her playing career is over.

While the camp, expected to take place in August or September, is primarily a business move on behalf of the hotel to boost sports tourism, Lambert said he hoped the players would spend at least some time with some of the Island's junior players.

And he revealed the hotel had almost signed her up last year after a series of injuries pushed her down the rankings and fuelled speculation about retirement.

Lambert said: "But then she started playing again and winning and we had to keep putting it off until it was too late.'' Graf's comeback culminated in the final of her 22 Grand Slam wins at the French Open earlier this year -- a total surpassed only by Margaret Court -- and a defeat in the Wimbledon final to Lindsay Davenport.

After the latter disappointment, she said she would not play in the two tournaments again and would probably leave the women's tour at the end of the year.

Later she rescinded that decision, saying she had been too emotional at the time, but within weeks she made it definite saying she had done all she wanted to in her 17-year career which began at the age of 13 and four months.

Her most successful year was 1988 in which she won all four majors -- the Australian, French and US Opens and Wimbledon. She went on to win Wimbledon seven times, the French six, the US five and the Australian four in a career which brought her 107 titles in all and more than $21 million in prize money -- second only to men's players Pete Sampras and Boris Becker, a fellow German.

Court Queen: German great Steffi Graf will headline a star-studded tennis camp at Elbow Beach next year