IMITATION, we are told, is the sincerest form of flattery.

Which means that the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament can now be regarded as the most successful exhibition event in the country.

Tournament organiser Anders Borg ran a similar event in Nottingham the week prior to the eighth Calderstones Park International, and another has been proposed for Manchester next year.

But Borg insists that neither will dilute the quality of next summer’s event, which he is ambitiously considering spreading beyond its usual five day format.

“June 15-20 are the proposed dates for next year, but we are considering spilling over by a couple of days into Wimbledon week with the Legends,” he explained.

“Mansour Bahrami, Ilie Nastase and Peter McNamara were only with us on the last day this year, but the arena was packed and they received a standing ovation which underlines their enduring popularity.

“I’m sure the local tennis fans would love to see a little more of them. Some people might consider it a risk to compete with the first round at Wimbledon, but I honestly believe you can’t beat watching live tennis rather than watching it on TV.

“The demand for more tennis north of London just shows how starved the sports fans have been outside the capital.

“Liverpool has been providing it for the last eight years but now other cities are beginning to catch on.”