Gene Mayer, one of 12 singles players in the Trigon Champions tournament that debuts tonight in Richmond, says the Nuveen Tour for 35-and-over standouts shows how competition and camaraderie can coexist.

''The play is serious on the court, but the guys all get along off the court,'' said Mayer, 41, who hits groundstrokes with two hands on both sides and was ranked fourth in the world in 1980. ''There's a lot more personal contact'' among the fans and players than on the ATP Tour. ''The fans enjoy it, and it's been fun to get the opportunity to play a bit and see people that you basically lived with on the tour.''


This event - at which the legendary Jimmy Connors is the top seed - is the first of 20 on the world-class 35-and-over circuit this year. Mayer noted how the Nuveen Tour has grown from three tournaments four years ago. Business sponsorship is a major reason.

''For corporations and everything, there's been a lot of benefit,'' he said. ''It's nice to have sort of a client-entertainment mechanism.''


Younger men on the ATP Tour hit harder and faster than those on the Nuveen Tour, but the 35s circuit ''is not the sort of `hit one ball,' the current players' mentality,'' Mayer said.

''The ball is hit hard and well'' on the Nuveen Tour, ''but there's point development and use of the court. The stadiums are more intimate. It's nicer to play in smaller stadiums, from the players' perspective, because it's easier to pick up the ball, and it's also nicer to watch.''

The feet of Mayer and his contemporaries don't move as quickly as they did in the early 1980s, but improved racket technology has helped.

''It's tougher for us in terms of movement and the ability to withstand the pounding of playing every day,'' he said. ''But even though our tour has grown enormously, it's not that rigorous in terms of three-out-of-five-set matches. There's not really a need to spend a lot of time on the court, but more off-court training is in order, not only to perform better but also to avoid injury.''

Mayer, who played in Richmond before at the once-annual World Championship Tennis event in the Richmond Coliseum, likes coming back.

''I've got some close friends here; I've come to visit them with my family a few times,'' he said. ''I've always felt that Richmond is really a hard-core tennis city with enthusiasm. When you're traveling, it's always nice to have a connection.''

MID-ATLANTIC 25s INDOOR. The Trigon Champions isn't the only tennis in the region this weekend. Williamsburg's McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center, for the first time, is conducting the USTA/Mid-Atlantic Indoor Championships for 25-and-over players. The tournament begins in earnest tonight.

Kingsmill pro Muri Ajibade, a Nigerian native who starred for Hampton University, was seeded second in the men's draw of 15. Andrew Hinkle of Virginia Beach was seeded No. 1, with Christian Pereyer and Gary Pulino third and fourth, respectively. Pereyer is an Argentinian who played on a pro satellite circuit, while Pulino is originally from Bolivia; both now teach tennis in Herndon.


In the women's bracket of six, Julie Kaczmarek and Stephanie Johnson are seeded first and second, respectively. Kaczmarek, an ex-William and Mary All-American and the McCormack-Nagelsen center's first director of tennis, now is an assistant coach for the University of Richmond's women's team and is a pro at the Country Club of Virginia. Johnson, from Washington, was ranked No. 1 among women in the USTA/Mid-Atlantic Section in 1995.

Entries for men's doubles will be taken until 7 tonight, tournament director Clay Robinson said.

The women's singles final will be Sunday at 10 a.m., followed by the men's.