Tennis titans take court to enthrall Indian Wells crowd

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It was a dreamy Saturday night at Indian Wells as two former tennis icons picked up the racquet to take on a current legend in a unique exhibition legends match.

Three former world number ones were on the same court as Pete Sampras and John McEnroe were up against Novak Djokovic and tournament director Tommy Haas.

The match was played after the second-seeded Rafael Nadal retired from the tournament because of a knee injury ahead of his much-anticipated semi-final clash against Roger Federer. The three legends and Haas returned to the court to enthrall the crowd in order to fill the empty semi-final slot.

As the tournament director, Haas took the decision to offer entertainment for the dejected spectators whose hopes of watching the Nadal-Federer spectacle got shattered. He was joined by Sampras, McEnroe and Djokovic in a special doubles match to play for the fans present at the stadium.

(Left to right) Lovitz, Haas, Djokovic, Sampras and McEnroe pose for a group photo before their exhibition match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. /VCG Photo

McEnroe teamed up with Haas to underline his invincibility in doubles as the duo outclassed Djokovic and his childhood idol Sampras 4-3 (7-4).

Comedian Jon Lovitz performed the duty of the umpire during the clash of the tennis titans.

Djokovic later said, “Thank you guys. It's a thrill to be with these legends on the court and of course to share the same side with my idol (Pete Sampras). I grew up watching him play so obviously it's a great thrill for me. Hopefully we'll break Tommy Haas' serve right now.”