DELRAY BEACH 2015: US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro leads a group of four newly committed players who have signed with the Delray Beach Open by The Venetian® Las Vegas to play in its ATP World Tour event February 13-22, marking its best pre-tournament singles field in its history.
Also announcing their participation in Delray Beach are top American John Isner, 2012 Delray Beach champion Kevin Anderson and rising world Top 25 Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Del Potro will be returning from his second wrist surgery when the 2015 season opens. After the two-time Top 5 player (2009, 2013) returned from his first surgery in 2011, he won the Delray Beach title, returned to the Top 20 and ended that season as the ATP’s Comeback Player of the Year.
The Argentine has 18 career ATP titles and in addition to his US Open title, has reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and the French Open, and the quarterfinals at the Australian Open.
Isner, with nine career ATP titles, has reached three straight Delray Beach semifinals, and Anderson, a Delray Beach resident, has a 13-4 record at his home tournament. Dolgopolov recorded Top 20 seasons in 2011 and 2012.
The latest group of players, with the earlier signing of 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic, gives the tournament four Top 25 players to lead its 2015 field. Cilic (No. 9), Anderson (No. 16) and Isner (No. 18) also all finished in the 2014 year-end Top 20 rankings.
“Two US Open champions, three Delray Beach champions, our top American – that says it all about our singles draw,” said tournament director Mark Baron. “With the world No. 1 Bryan Brothers leading our doubles draw, we’ve established 2015 as a year to see champions play in Delray Beach.”
Cilic and the Bryan Brothers, both defending Delray Beach and US Open champions, were the first to sign up to play in the 23rd annual event.
In addition to the ATP World Tour tournament, the Delray Beach Open by the Venetian also features an ATP Champions Tour competition that leads off the 10-day event starting on Friday of President’s Weekend and wrapping up on Sunday (Feb. 13-15, 2015).
That six-player competition features former Wimbledon champ Goran Ivanisevic leading an International trio against Americans that include former French Open champion Michael Chang and first-time ATP Champions Tour participant James Blake. Blake was a two-time singles finalist in Delray Beach’s ATP World Tour events in 2007 and 2008.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.YellowTennisBall.com, by calling 561-330-6000 ext.1 or at the on-site box office at 30 NW 1st Avenue in Delray Beach.
Kevin Anderson, ProWorld Tennis Academy, http://proworldus.com/2014/11/26/kevin-anderson-atp-16/
ProWorld US Tennis Blog 