Greensboro Native John Isner Second to Sign with Winston-Salem Open

Written by: Staff on 7th June 2011

Greensboro Native John Isner Second to Sign with Winston-Salem Open

epa02736429 John Isner of US returns a serve during his match against Swedish tennis player Christian Lindell at the Tennis World Team Cup in Duesseldorf, Germany, 16 May 2011. Isner won with 6-4 and 6-1. EPA/VICTORIA BONN-MEUSER |

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (APRIL 20, 2011) – The Winston-Salem Open at Wake Forest University announces that John Isner – ranked No. 4 among American male players and No. 29 among worldwide players on the ATP Rankings – as the second player signed to compete in the inaugural tournament. Isner grew up in Greensboro, graduated from Page High School and was a four-time All American at the University of Georgia.

Tickets to the Winston-Salem Open go on sale to the public beginning May 10. For more information or to purchase tickets (on or after May 10), please go to www.winstonsalemopen.com.

Isner joins Mardy Fish, who signed to the Winston-Salem Open earlier this month. Fish moved into a coveted top 10 position (at No. 10) in this week’s ATP worldwide ranking of male players. He remains No. 1 among American males on the ATP Ranking.

“Since his professional career began in 2007, John has been widely recognized as one of the future stars of American tennis,” said tournament director Bill Oakes. “We’re incredibly excited to have two of the top five male tennis players in America as the first to sign on with the Winston-Salem Open. We’re also anticipating a groundswell of local fan enthusiasm for John since he grew up in the Triad and maintains many friendships here.”

A current player on the U.S. Davis Cup team, Isner is well known in tennis circles as the only player in the top 150 to attend college for four years, for being the second tallest player on tour (6’9”) and for his fast rise on the ATP ranking. He has one of the hardest serves among current pros and holds the record for the longest match ever played in tennis history. Isner’s heroic battle at Wimbledon against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut lasted for 11 hours and 5 minutes, ending with his 70-68 victory in the fifth set.

About the Winston-Salem Open

The Winston-Salem Open, an ATP World Tour 250 event with a total purse of $625,000, will take place from August 21-27, 2011, with qualifying set for August 19 and August 20. The tournament will be the final men’s event of the Olympus US Open Series. The tournament will receive national television exposure via Tennis Channel and ESPN2, including the singles final broadcasted by CBS. For more information, please visit www.winstonsalemopen.com.

About the Olympus US Open Series

The Olympus US Open Series has established itself as a true regular season of hard court tennis, linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. Fans follow the action throughout the summer through national television coverage, culminating each week with back-to-back men’s and women’s finals on Sunday afternoon. Players battle for $40 million, including a chance for bonus prize money at the US Open. In 2008, Olympus became the first title sponsor of the Series. The Olympus US Open Series is also supported by sponsors American Express and Evian. Andy Murray won the 2010 Olympus US Open Series men’s title and Caroline Wozniacki won the women’s title. In 2007, Roger Federer collected the biggest paycheck in tennis history – $2.4 million – for winning the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series. In 2005, Kim Clijsters also captured both the US Open and the Series, winning $2.2 million – the largest purse in women’s sports history – and again equaled that amount in 2010, winning the US Open and finishing the Olympus US Open Series in second place.

About the ATP

The ATP is the governing body of the men’s professional tennis circuits – the ATP World Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. With 62 tournaments in 32 countries, the ATP World Tour showcases the finest male athletes competing in the world’s most exciting venues. From Australia to Europe and the Americas to Asia, the stars of the ATP World Tour battle for prestigious titles and South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings points at Grand Slams (non ATP events), ATP World Tour Masters 1000, ATP World Tour 500 and ATP World Tour 250 events. At the end of the season, only the world’s top 8 ranked men’s singles players and top 8 doubles teams, based on their performance throughout the year, will qualify to compete for the last title of the season at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Held at The O2 in London, the event will officially crown the 2011 ATP World Tour No.1 in singles and doubles. For more information, please visit www.ATPWorldTour.com.