Cincinnati announces entry list: Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and rest of top 43 on board
By Ricky Dimon
The Western & Southern Open announced on Monday its 2014 player field. As a mandatory Masters 1000 event on the ATP World Tour, every one of the top 43 men in the rankings is signed up. The top 39 women are all on the entry list for what is a Premier 5 WTA tournament.
“To have every possible player at the top of the rankings of both tours enter the Western & Southern Open shows the value these players place on this tournament,” said tournament director and COO Vince Cicero. “We pride ourselves on giving the players the best possible tournament experience, and with their commitment to play here, it give us the chance to put on a tremendous event for our fans attending and the global viewing audience.”
On the men’s side, however, three players will inevitably announce their withdrawals. Juan Martin Del Potro, Tommy Haas, and Nicolas Almagro are all expected to miss the remainder of the 2014 season due to injuries. The top three alternates for direct entry into the Western & Southern Open are Gilles Simon, Denis Istomin, and Julien Benneteau, so they will soon be locks for the main draw.
Both the men’s and women’s fields are highlighted by the three most recent champions of the Western & Southern Open. Rafael Nadal captured the title in 2013, preceded by Roger Federer on four occasions (2012, ’10, ’09, ’07) and Andy Murray twice (2011, ’08) since any man not in the current field last lifted the trophy (Andy Roddick in 2006). Victoria Azarenka prevailed in 2013 after Li Na won it in 2012 and Maria Sharapova triumphed in 2011. World No. 1s Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams will also be present.
The Western & Southern Open is held August 9-17 at the Linder Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, approximately 20 miles north of Cincinnati. It is the fourth stop on the ATP’s U.S. Open Series, which begins next week with the BB&T Atlanta Open. Additional hard-court events are being held in Washington, D.C. and Toronto in between Atlanta and Cincinnati.
Since 1974, the tournament has contributed more than $9 million directly to its beneficiaries: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the Barrett Cancer Center, and Tennis for City Youth.
Topics: Andy Murray, Atp World Tour, Cincinnati Open, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Ricky Dimon, Roger Federer, Tennis, Tennis News
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