NEW York's first black mayor David Dinkins has confirmed he will return to Bermuda in September to take part in a tennis charity event.

Mr. Dinkins is one of eight celebrities already recruited for the second Lori McNeil / Elbow Beach Celebrity Classic, to raise money for the development of Bermuda's junior tennis players.

Organisers revealed this week that some of the proceeds raised from this year's Classic would go towards sending a party of young Bermudian tennis players to the US Open in New York in September, 2003.

If all goes to plan, the youngsters will get a chance to meet some of the stars of world tennis at the Arthur Ashe Fun Day at Flushing Meadows, on the Sunday before the Grand Slam tournament opens.

Mr. Dinkins served as the Mayor of New York between 1989 and 1993 and has long been in the front line of the battle against racial injustice.

Now he hosts a public affairs radio show on WLIB-AM and is a Professor in the Practice of Public Afairs at Columbia University. Mr. Dinkins has also become something of a globe-trotting statesman, who can count the likes of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu among his friends.

He said New York was still on the road to recovery from the horrific events of September 11 last year and that the city had changed perceptibly since the terrorist attack which razed the World Trade Centre.

"I think we are doing well now," said Mr. Dinkins. "It shows the resilience of the people of New York, aided and comforted in so many ways by people from all over the country and from abroad. But we still have a long way to go.

"I think New York has changed, in the sense that things we are paying attention to things we were not noticing so much before. If there are whales caught in the ice anywhere in the world for example, everyone is focused on whether they will be rescued. People are showing a lot of compassion."

Having attended the inaugural Classic last September, Mr. Dinkins said he had jumped at the chance to repeat the experience.

"I had a great time last year, partly because of the beauty of Bermuda and the wonderful people I met," said Mr. Dinkins this week. "But also because the event offers a combination of two things that are special to me - children and tennis."

Tennis has long been a passion of Mr. Dinkins and despite his age, he still plays regularly.

"I will be 75 in July, but I still play four times a week," he said. "I tell people I'm not a great player, but I'm a great enthusiast. One friend tells me if my skill was as great as my enthusiam, I'd be half a player.

"What is important about this event in Bermuda is not developing great players, or even getting young people into tennis scholarships. My main concern is giving youngsters the option of something other than anti-social behaviour, to introduce them to a sport that is healthy and that they can play for the rest of their lives.

"The youngsters in Bermuda are handicapped in that they can't just get on a bus or travel in a car to a tournament to play against strong opponents. They need to get on a plane and that is expensive. It's our job to help them."

Mr. Dinkins' commitment to tennis is not in doubt. He is a member of the board of directors of the US Tennis Association, a director of New York Junior Tennis League and is an inductee of the Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame.

"John McEnroe was inducted the year after me," said Mr. Dinkins, " and he asked me what I'd done to get in before him!"

As examples of black tennis players who has risen from humble beginnings to achieve great things, Mr. Dinkins cited US Davis Cup team member James Blake, a native of Harlem, and the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, whose tennis experience began on a public grass roots programme in Harlem, California.

Elbow Beach Hotel's director of tennis David Lambert is chief organiser of the Classic along with former Wimbledon semi-finalist McNeil.

Lambert confirmed that plans were on schedule for this year with tennis stars MaliVai Washington and Amanda Coetzer, actress Robin Givens, boxers Laila Ali and Johnny McClain, as well as McNeil herself all confirmed for the event and negotiations going on with several more celebrities.

"We are hoping to be able to send eight youngsters to the Arthur Ashe Fun Day at the US open next year," said Lambert. "The number will depend on the funds we have available.

"I will be going on a fact-finding mission to the US Open this year and meeting with some USTA directors to try and secure slots for some of our top juniors. It will be great for them to be part of the event."

This year's Classic is scheduled for September 18 to 21. Corporate sponsors and individuals are invited to buy packages costing between $2,500 and $7,000, providing passes to events including tennis clinics and round-robin events with the stars, cocktail parties, a black tie dinner, a tennis exhibition at the Tennis Stadium and a celebrity golf tournament.

Full details are available on the website of the charity which will administer funds raised from the event, the Bermuda Tennis Development Foundation, at btdf.bm and Mr. Lambert can be contacted on 239-8908.