Three-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champion and women’s doubles Olympic gold medallist Zina Garrison will be among the main attractions at next month’s 6th Elbow Beach Celebrity Tennis Classic.The former women’s tennis star has accepted an invitation to appear at the upcoming event which benefits local grass roots tennis players.American Garrison, who finished runner up to Martina Navratilova at the 1990 Wimbledon Championships, is no stranger to Bermuda’s shores having previously made her presence felt at the Elbow Beach Celebrity Classic that is back following a three-year absence.She said: “I am really looking forward to returning to Bermuda. I had a great talk with David (Elbow Beach Tennis Club director David Lambert) in New York a couple of months ago and he invited me.“I always thought he was doing great things with the junior development program down there (Bermuda) and so I’m really looking forward to coming and lending my support. It’s very important that we keep bringing awareness to the game of tennis here in the United States as well as in the Caribbean just to let people know it’s still a game people love to play and that kids still have a great opportunity to excel in it in whatever aspect.”When asked to share her thoughts on Bermuda, Garrison replied: “It’s really funny because the one thing I always remember about Bermuda is the colour of the houses and how clean it was. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a country that clean and I remember the people being so nice and welcoming.“I always remember being so very well accepted there and the people were down to earth and had a sense of pride about their country and that’s always nice to feel.”Others accepting invitations to take part in the tennis classic are Garrison’s former doubles partner Katrina Adams, past New York mayor David Dinkins and Fox Network personality Amy Hanten.“We are looking forward to all of them coming down to Bermuda and having fun,” said Elbow Beach tennis director Lambert. “We are looking forward to a successful event and we want to thank all of our sponsors (Butterfield Bank, KPMG, Bacardi and Government).The Elbow Beach Celebrity Tennis Classic will be held September 28th and 29th at the WER Joell Tennis Stadium and Elbow Beach Tennis Club that will also host a sponsor’s clinic.A welcoming party at Bacardi Building and a formal black-tie dinner at Riddell’s Bay Golf Club have also been scheduled over the course of the two-day event which kicks off with a series of exhibition matches at the WER Joell Tennis Stadium.Funds raised during the tennis spectacle will again go towards the development of local youth players.“The funds that are raised from this event we work very closely with the Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association to assist our young players to compete in ITF world ranking team events,” Lambert said. “One of the components we are missing in Bermuda is our junior players don’t travel often enough to be exposed to that high level of international competition and that’s where the Celebrity Classic comes in.“Many of our young players have lifted their level of play to where they have been offered college scholarships and we are very proud to say the event played a part in helping young Bermudians acquire scholarships to go on and achieve a lot.”For further information on the upcoming Elbow Beach Celebrity Tennis Classic call 236-8737.