Mats Wilander, an International Tennis Hall of Fame member who won 33 singles titles, including 7 Grand Slams, will coach a clinic at the Club at Copper Ranch indoor tennis facility in Hailey on Jan. 7.
Wilander, 41, who lives in the Wood River Valley with his wife Sonya and four children, coached a similar clinic at Copper Ranch in early December.
"We had a tremendous response from the participants," said Jeff Smith, owner and developer of Copper Ranch. "We decided to do it again."
Smith said Wilander, whose kids all play tennis, is eager to promote and expand the sport. "He wants to get tennis going in the valley, especially with juniors," Smith said.
Wilander could not be reached for comment.
A native of Sweden and the world's No. 1 ranked men's tennis player in 1988, Wilander will be joined by fellow tennis heavyweights Francisco Franceschini and Vicki Johnston. Franceschini, a seven-time captain of Chile's junior team, is the current pro and junior development director at the Palisades Tennis Center. Johnston is a former Boise State University tennis champion and the head pro at Copper Ranch.
The clinic will feature "cardio tennis" and "live ball", which Smith described as "fun, exciting tennis workouts for all ages and skill levels."
Copper Ranch has three recently renovated indoor tennis courts and is in the midst of an enormous remodel that when completed in early 2007 will include an indoor pool and health club.
The cost of the clinic is $35 for club members and $45 for non-members.
In addition to numerous titles, Wilander was an integral member of Sweden's three Davis Cup winning teams in 1984, 1985 and 1987. At 17 years and nine months, he was the youngest man to win a Grand Slam singles title when he upset Guillermo Vilas to win the 1982 French Open title.
"This is just really special," Smith said. "For Mats to be gracious enough to do this, we're really, really lucky. We hope people can take advantage of this, this is something that doesn't happen all the time.
"We want to share this with the community."
