John Isner, Jack Sock to play Hall of Fame Tennis Championships
John Isner and Jack Sock, the No. 1 and 2 American tennis players on the ATP World Tour have committed to the player field for the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships. The tournament will be played at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, July 11 - 19. The tournament, which is held directly after Wimbledon, is the only event played on grass courts in North or South America, and the only ATP World Tour event in New England.
"Newport is a great place to start my U.S. summer season. It's a great tournament. The fans, the venue, and the field always make for a good week, and I'm looking forward to coming back this summer," commented Isner.
This will be Isner's seventh appearance in Newport, where he has been very successful previously. He won the tournament in 2011 and 2012, was a semifinalist in 2013 and was in the quarterfinals last year. Including his two Newport titles, Isner is a 9-time singles champion on the ATP World Tour, and he has also won 3 doubles titles. Isner is heading into the clay court season after a successful spring on the U.S. hard courts. Playing back-to-back Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami, Isner advanced to the fourth round in Indian Wells and the semifinals in Miami, before falling to world No. 1 Novak Djokovic both times. With fellow American Sam Querrey, he was also a semifinalist in doubles at Miami.
Jack Sock is currently ranked world No. 36 in singles, and is ranked within the world top-10 in doubles. He was a semifinalist in Newport last year, falling to eventual champion Lleyton Hewitt. Earlier this month, Sock won his first ATP World Tour title, with a victory at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston. Sock's doubles success is highlighted by the 2014 Wimbledon doubles title, which he won with Canadian Vasek Pospisil. This season, the duo partnered to win the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, and they were finalists at the Miami Open, both of which are ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events.
"I can't think of a better way to start the U.S. summer swing of pro tennis than by welcoming the top two American players to our tournament," commented Todd Martin. "John and Jack are both a lot of fun to watch compete, and I know the Newport fans will be glad to welcome them back once again. We're putting together a strong player field and looking forward to a great tournament."
Joining Isner and Sock in the player field will be Steve Johnson, another top American player who is currently ranked in the world top-50, and ATP World Tour veteran Tommy Haas of Germany, formerly ranked world Number 2. Additional players will be announced in the coming weeks.
This year's tournament will have much to offer tennis fans. The event is hosted on the property of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which is just about to complete a full renovation of the museum. The new museum will feature interactive exhibits, a hologram of a current tennis star, and more of the historic collection on display than ever before. New for 2015, admission to the museum is included with all tournament tickets.
Additionally, the tournament has added a tennis expo experience to this year's event, in which fans can demo all sorts of new equipment and apparel. The tournament will host tennis clinics for the public on the grass courts throughout the week as well.
A highlight of the week is always the International Tennis Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, in which the highest honor in tennis is presented. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, July 18 and will honor the Hall of Fame Class of 2015 - former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo, 6-time Paralympics medalist David Hall, and industry leader Nancy Jeffett.
Tournament tickets, including access to the museum and to the Induction Ceremony are available now. Hall of Fame Members save $8 on tickets, and enjoy many other benefits throughout tournament week, including access to a Member Lounge, first-in-line status for autographs, and much more. Tickets and membership info is available on HallofFameTennisChampionships.com or by phone at (401) 849-6053
