John Isner to Play at Newport

Written by: Staff on 2nd July 2011

John Isner to Play at Newport |

John Isner, one of the most exciting American players on the ATP World Tour, will be headed to Newport, R.I. for Fourth of July week, to compete in the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, which will be hosted at the International Tennis Hall of Fame on July 4 – 10. Isner is currently the No. 4 American on the ATP World Tour. Last year, he captivated tennis fans around the world when he triumphed in the longest match in tennis history – an epic 11 hour and 5 minute battle at Wimbledon, versus Frenchman Nicolas Mahut. Isner will be the No. 1 seed in the tournament, which is the ATP World Tour’s first summer stop in North America and the only ATP World Tour event in New England this summer. ORDER TICKETS NOW!

Isner replaces 2010 Newport champion Mardy Fish as the tournament’s No.1 seed. It was announced earlier today that Fish will be part of the team representing the United States in the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas quarterfinal tie between the United States and Spain on July 8 – 10 in Austin, Texas, which conflicts with the Newport dates.

“We are very pleased to welcome John back to Newport for the third time,” said Tournament Director Mark L. Stenning. “He’s a great addition to our field, which is a very athletic, competitive group, with players like former world No. 2 Tommy Haas, big-server Ivo Karlovic and young gun Ryan Harrison.”

Stenning continued, “We will certainly miss Mardy Fish in Newport this summer, but as the No. 1 American, his place is with the Davis Cup team. He has worked very hard in recent years and he has truly earned this spot. We wish Mardy and the United States team much success in the quarterfinals.”

Following that record-setting Wimbledon match last summer, both Isner and Mahut donated personal memorabilia (Isner’s racquet, Mahut’s racquet and apparel) from the match to be displayed in the Museum at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, where it is currently showcased in the Grand Slam Gallery. Nicolas Mahut will also play in the upcoming Newport tournament.

Last year, Isner reached a career-high four finals, capturing his first ATP World Tour singles title at Auckland. He finished in Top 20 for first time with a personal-high 38 match wins. In addition, he led ATP World Tour in aces with 1,048 served – 113 of which were in the epic Wimbledon match. Isner last played in Newport in 2008, when he captured the doubles title, partnered with Fish. It is one three doubles titles he has won, including the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Rome, which he won earlier this year with fellow American Sam Querrey – who often plays Newport, but will not this year due to injury.

In addition to Isner and Mahut, fans can expect exciting action on the courts next week, as the field features former world No. 2 player Tommy Haas, who is currently making a comeback after more than a year out, and the world record holder for the fastest serve in tennis history, Ivo Karlovic. Several up and coming stars are in the field as well including young American Ryan Harrison, who recently advanced to the second round of Wimbledon before falling to world No. 6 David Ferrer; and Grigor Dimitrov, a former world No. 1 junior who is currently the youngest player inside the world top-100, ranked No. 62 at 20 years old.