Courier, Bruguera, McEnroe Head Charlotte Senior Field

Also in the running will be John McEnroe, ranked No. 2 on the WORLD SENIOR RANKINGS presented by Tennis-X.com behind the unstoppable Marcelo Rios, who has collected the title in all five events he has played in 2006.

Rounding out the field are Todd Martin, Jimmy Arias, Aaron Krickstein, Wayne Ferreira and Pat Cash.

Cash could be a question mark after pulling out of last week's stop in Paris with a foot injury. Bruguera replaced Petr Korda, who withdrew from the Charlotte event after suffering an illness.

In Group A of the round robin are McEnroe, Martin, Arias and Cash, and in Group B Courier, Bruguera, Krickstein and Ferreira. The top finishers from each group advance to the final.

"The way things are now, it is hard to predict what will happen any one week," said Martin, the champion at his lone senior tour appearance earlier this year in Boston. "The field is strong and it is always difficult to get past Jim and John."

McEnroe tells the Charlotte Observer that his trademark outbursts are likely during the week.

"It's sort of sad and sort of funny," McEnroe said. "I've become a caricature of myself. I guess I still take tennis more seriously than I should. If I just go out there, play well and beat someone 6-2, 6-2, I think people are a little disappointed if that's all they get. So I do a little more. That's the entertainment part. Certainly, it's not difficult for me to conjure up anger, and I want people to be entertained."

For Arias, the former ATP No. 5-ranked player and Ferreira, who ranked a career-high No. 6 on the ATP, it will be their debuts on the senior tour.

Scheduled for the opening night session Wednesday are Martin vs. Cash, and Courier vs. Krickstein.

To the victor in Charlotte will go 400 ranking points, with Rios turning the 2006 senior tour into a race for No. 2.

WORLD SENIOR RANKINGS presented by Tennis-X.com
(Top 10 through Sept. 17, 2006)

1. Marcelo Rios (2000 pts.)
2. John McEnroe (965)
3. Thomas Muster (875)
4. Cedric Pioline (850)
5. Sergi Bruguera (790)
6. Pat Cash (670)
7. Jim Courier (600)
8. Goran Ivanisevic (575)
9. Richard Krajicek (480)
10T. Renzo Furlan (400)
10T. Todd Martin (400)
10T. Car-Uwe Steeb (400)

The World Senior Rankings presented by Tennis-X.com is a cumulative ranking for senior tour players combining results from the Merrill Lynch Tour of Champions in Europe, and the Outback Champions Series in the U.S.