Preparations for the 2009 Elbow Beach Celebrity Tennis Classic are on schedule as the final touches are made to the annual spectacle.

With celebrities coming in every day this week, the Island will be lined with the who's who of the sports world, including Laila Ali, daughter of legendary boxing icon Muhammad Ali, along with husband ex-Chicago Bears star Chris Conway.

Last year's event was not held due to circumstances beyond the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) control. This year, however, the Classic is back and is sure to be as exciting as past Classics.

A major factor in the Classic's re-emergence this year is the donation of funds towards the event, particularly Butterfield Bank, who donated $15,000, and sponsors Bacardi along with others who contributed.

Funds collected from this year's Classics will go towards helping some junior starlets play in ITF sanctioned tournaments and world ranking tournaments.

President David Lambert, who vowed last year that the fund-raising tournament would be back, is pleased to see the event taking shape with some of the star-studded celebrities already on the Island and ready to hit the court.

"Preparations are on schedule," said Lambert. "We are pleased to say that as usual we are receiving a strong response from our schools, all of whom have been invited to send their students to watch the exhibition to be held at the W. E. R. Joell Tennis Stadium on Friday.

"Prizes provided by KPMG will be won during question and answer period, all question tennis related such as height of net, length of court, name of stadium and so forth.

"Four time Grand Slam Winner Hana Mandlikova arrived Monday along with Former Tour Pro Katrina Adams. Former Tour Pro Lori McNeil and Number One Female Boxer and Dancing with the Stars Laila Ali arrive today."

"All funds will be directed to our top juniors to assist them in playing in ITF World Ranking Tournaments which helps them to secure College Scholarships. These pools of players at the College level continue to provide us with Davis Cup and Fed Cup participants."

The Classic kicks off with a banquet tomorrow night at Bacardi International and runs from September 23 to 26.