NEWPORT — While the eyes of the sporting world are on the Beijing Olympics this week, a few will divert their gaze to tennis Hall of Famers and former champions playing on the grass at the Newport Casino.

John McEnroe, the seven-time Grand Slam champion, and Jim Courier, winner of four major titles, will lead the eight-man draw for the Hall of Fame Champions Cup, a stop on the Outback Champions Series tour. Advance ticket sales have been good. Matches will start today, with championship and third-place matches scheduled for Sunday.

“We’re averaging about 1,100 paid tickets per day,” said Mark Stenning, chief executive of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The stadium seats about 3,800.

Most fans are paying to see McEnroe, who at 49 remains entertaining and, on grass, competitive.

“Any time I can see John McEnroe play on grass it’s a treat for me,” Stenning said. “I think he could hold his own on grass in the Campbell’s tournament.”

The Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in July is the only professional tennis tournament played on grass in the United States. In recent years, the tournament has attracted players who prefer to slug it out from the baseline rather than serve and volley, as grass court champions of the past did.

Watching McEnroe serve and come to the net is still exciting, and listening to him mourn the demise of net play is poignant.

McEnroe and Courier are the only Hall-of-Famers in the draw. Mats Wilander had committed but later withdrew. Michael Chang, inducted into the Hall of Fame last month, could not return because of an Olympics commitment. He had served as a goodwill ambassador for China in its bid to secure the games.

“I’d like to see a stronger field and wish we had four Hall-of-Famers instead of two,” Stenning said.

Joining McEnroe and Courier will be Pat Cash, the 1987 Wimbledon champion; Mal Washington, 1996 Wimbledon runner-up; Magnus Larsson, a 1994 French Open semifinalist; Mikael Pernfors, the 1986 French Open runner-up; Wayne Ferreira, a two-time Australian Open finalist and Karel Novacek, a semifinalist at the 1994 U.S. Open.

To be eligible for this tour a player must have been ranked in the top five in singles, reached a Grand Slam singles final or played singles on a Davis Cup championship team. A player must be at least 30 years old and cannot be active on the ATP Tour.

This may be McEnroe’s final appearance here in a competitive setting. During an exhibition with Courier at the University of Rhode Island last winter, he said he would play the Champions Series circuit one more year and then see how he feels.

The purse for this event is $150,000, with $54,000 going to the winner. Todd Martin defeated McEnroe, 7-5, 7-5, a year ago in a final that lasted almost two hours.

In addition to prize money, McEnroe and Courier also receive an incentive, or appearance, fee. Stenning declined to disclose that amount.

The inaugural tournament in 2007 was a success, and Stenning hopes to turn a profit again this year. Unlike the Hall of Fame tournament in July, which counts on repeat customers who return year after year, the Champions Cup crowd is mostly walk-up. The Champions Cup did $42,000 in walk-up business last year.

Fans find the format appealing because they know each player will play at least three matches, thanks to the round-robin format. McEnroe, for example, will play tomorrow, Friday and Saturday. If he finishes first in his group, he will play Sunday against the first-place finisher in the other group. The second-place finishers in each group will play for third place.

The schedule is available well in advance, so fans know who they will see.

This is the second of a three-year contract the Hall of Fame has with the Outback Series. Stenning said the tournament has a future in Newport but in the current economy he is concerned about sponsors for next year. But that’s looking ahead. For now, tennis fans will look for McEnroe and Courier and their buddies, when they are not looking at the Olympics.

For schedule and ticket information, visit tennisfame.com.

mszostak@projo.com