Three-time champion Novak Djokovic will lead this year’s US Open playing field, featuring younger ATP Tour stars Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev, who will be eying an opportunity to make their Grand Slam breakthroughs.

Djokovic, who won the US Open in 2011, ’15 and ’18, will be attempting to win an 18th Grand Slam title. The Serb was on an unbeaten 18-match winning streak to start 2020 before the ATP Tour was suspended due to COVID-19 in March. That run included his eighth title at the Australian Open and him steering Serbia to victory in the inaugural ATP Cup.

Younger ATP Tour stars will look to snap the ‘Big Three’ stranglehold at the majors, with Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer combining to win the past 13 Grand Slam titles. Federer will not play this year’s US Open as he recovers from knee surgery. Nadal was not named on the entry list released today by the USTA.

Thiem is a three-time Grand Slam finalist, having fallen to Djokovic in this year’s Australian Open and to Nadal in the 2018-19 Roland Garros finals. Medvedev reached his first and only Grand Slam final last year in New York, when he pushed Nadal to five sets.

Tsitsipas, the reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion, reached the 2019 Australian Open semi-finals after beating Federer in the fourth round. Zverev, a winner of three ATP Masters 1000 titles, achieved his best Grand Slam result earlier this year at the Australian Open, where he reached the semi-finals (l. Thiem).

Also in the US Open field is Italy’s Matteo Berrettini, who reached the semi-finals last year (l. Djokovic). World No. 10 David Goffin will also be at Flushing Meadows, as will 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic.

Former finalist Kei Nishikori is also entered, as is 2019 semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov.

You have to finish off Novak Djokovic. Otherwise, the World No. 1 might not only win that match, but the entire tournament.

The Serbian is a 79-time tour-level titlist. On a record seven of those occasions, he saved at least one match point during the tournament. Djokovic accomplished the feat at 2007 Vienna, 2009 Basel, 2011 US Open, 2012 Shanghai, 2017 Doha, 2019 Wimbledon and 2020 Dubai.

Djokovic returned from the brink to earn a crown in his most recent tournament at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. In the semi-finals, the top seed saved three consecutive match points before defeating Gael Monfils 2-6, 7-6(8), 6-1. The Serbian rode that momentum to the title by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas.

“It’s like being on the edge of a cliff,” Djokovic said about facing match points. “You know there is no way back so you have to jump over and try to find a way to survive I guess and pray for the best and believe that you can make it.

“That’s one of the things that I feel at the moment. Okay, one point away, one shot away. There is no going back. This is it. I accept the situation and try to make the most out of it.”

Since 2015, players have won 53 tour-level titles after saving match point(s) during the tournament. Djokovic and Lucas Pouille lead the way during that period by winning three different events from match point(s) down.

Pouille has won three of his five ATP Tour titles from the brink of defeat, saving at least one match point at Budapest and Stuttgart in 2017 as well as Montpellier in 2018. Since 2015, seven different players have saved match point(s) in two different matches at the same tournament before lifting the title, led by Dominic Thiem at 2016 Buenos Aires

Players Who Saved Match Point(s) In Multiple Matches, Won Title (since 2015)

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray has saved at least one match point en route to a title twice since 2015. In the semi-finals of the 2016 Nitto ATP Finals, Murray saved one match point before battling past Milos Raonic 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(9). In the championship match, with year-end No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Rankings on the line, Murray beat Djokovic for the title.

Murray also notably saved seven match points in the quarter-finals of the 2017 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, beating Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-7(4), 7-6(18), 6-1 before lifting the trophy on the weekend. The top seed saved all seven match points in the 38-point second-set tie-break, which lasted 31 minutes.

“It’s obviously a special match to win because of how it went,” Murray said. “I’ll probably never play another tie-break like that again.”

Organisers of the Mutua Madrid Open on Tuesday announced the cancellation of the tournament’s 2020 edition due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ATP Masters 1000 event is typically held in May, but was rescheduled to September because of the virus. Unfortunately, due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, the tournament made a decision in conjunction with local authorities to cancel the event.

“We have given our all to stage the tournament,” Tournament Director Feliciano Lopez said. “After the first cancellation in May, we got to work on the September date with the hope of being able to enjoy first-class tennis in the Caja Mágica during this year, which has been so hard for everyone. However, the continued instability is still too great to hold a tournament like this in complete safety. Once again, we would like to thank the Madrid City Council and all of our sponsors and suppliers for being by our side during every step we have taken.”

After a spike in COVID-19 cases, the Community of Madrid announced a number of new measures to control the virus’ spread, including a directive that social gatherings are to be reduced to 10 people, both in public and private meetings, further reducing the feasibility of operating the tournament.

The next edition of the Mutua Madrid Open will take place from 30 April to 9 May 2021 in the Caja Mágica. Any fans that decided to keep their tickets after the postponement in May are guaranteed tickets for the same session and seats in 2021.

ATP & WTA Statement:
The ATP and WTA regret to confirm the cancellation of the 2020 Mutua Madrid Open, a decision that has been taken in line with local authorities due to health and safety concerns. We would like to recognise the efforts of the tournament organisers who have gone to great lengths in exploring all options to run this year’s tournament, despite the many challenges presented by COVID-19. Both tours are assessing updates to the 2020 provisional calendars in regards to events following the US Open, and an update will be published in due course.

Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman, said: “We share in the disappointment that the Mutua Madrid Open will not be able to take place this year. The circumstances concerning COVID-19 are continually evolving and we continue to take guidance from local authorities in our decision-making. I would like to thank the Mutua Madrid Open tournament organisers for their efforts to run this year’s event, which included the rescheduling of their dates from May to September, and we look forward to the event’s successful return in 2021.”

Steve Simon, WTA Chairman and CEO, said: “We are disappointed the Mutua Madrid Open will not be held this year but we are proud of the dedication set forth by Feliciano and the entire tournament team, who have worked tirelessly to consider and facilitate all possible alternatives in making the tournament happen this year. We know how beloved this combined men’s and women’s event is for fans, especially with the anticipation of the Tour’s return to play, but we remain vigilant to ensure health and safety remains our top priority for all.”

When Andre Agassi made his Citi Open debut in 1987, he was so disgusted with his first-round loss that he gave away all of his racquets and vowed to quit tennis. It’s safe to say he’s glad that never happened.

The American gave Washington, D.C. another shot in 1990 and faithfully returned each year, only missing this event in 2005. His five titles (1990-91, 1995, 1998-1999) remain a tournament record after more than 20 years.

ATPTour.com looks at Agassi’s five trips to the winner’s circle.

1990
Agassi’s performance in his return to Washington, D.C. was a stark contrast from his debut at this event. The 20-year-old, then No. 4 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, delivered his best tennis from the first point. He cruised to the title without dropping a set, easily dismissing fellow American Jim Grabb 6-1, 6-4 in the championship match.

“You haven’t seen me let up on someone for awhile and I don’t think you’ll see it again for awhile. I’m just different now,” Agassi said. “It seems like every day that goes by, I’m more aware of the ability I’ve been given.”

1991
The American returned the following year to deliver the first successful title defence of his career. He once again raced through five matches without dropping a set and required just 65 minutes in the final to defeat Petr Korda 6-3, 6-4, marking his 14th ATP Tour crown.

“If I don’t rise to the occasion, there’s no telling what will happen,” Agassi said. “But I am playing my best tennis. I went out there focused. I got through the week rather easily.”

1995
Agassi battled Stefan Edberg — and the heat — in what remains one of the most dramatic finals in tournament history.

With the temperature on court reaching 48 degrees Celsius (118 Fahrenheit), the American became ill at 5-3 in the third set and vomited into a courtside flower pot. He felt sick once again at 5-5 and raced to the locker room, explaining afterwards that he “didn’t see an opportune place to puke”.

But while he lost his lunch, he didn’t lose his cool. It was Edberg who wilted in the final game as the Swede hit three consecutive unforced errors to give Agassi a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 win.

“I haven’t experienced this kind of heat,” the Las Vegas-native said afterwards. “I don’t know if I’ll experience this kind of heat again until next year here. It’s crazy. I don’t know why I keep coming back.”

1998
Guillermo Vilas, Jimmy Connors and Agassi shared the tournament record for most titles until 1998, when Agassi picked up his fourth crown in breathtakingly dominant fashion. He didn’t drop a set throughout the week and only lost six games combined in his last three matches, winning 11 consecutive games in the final to blitz Scott Draper 6-2, 6-0. The match only lasted 50 minutes and a sheepish Draper apologised to the crowd afterwards, but Agassi was in no mood to do the same.

“If this was disappointing,” Agassi told the crowd, “I hope to disappoint 20,000 people at the U.S. Open this year.”

1999
Agassi’s last Citi Open title followed the trend of his other trophy-winning performances at this event as he once again prevailed without losing a set. He defeated Yevgeny Kafelnikov 7-6(3), 6-1 in the championship match, marking the first time he had won five titles at an individual tour-level event.

“It’s interesting what it feels like to win a fifth title somewhere – I’ve never done that before,” Agassi said. “It seems only fitting that it’s here.”

There will be no shortage of star power when the ATP Challenger Tour resumes play in two weeks. After being sidelined since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, players competing on the Challenger circuit will return to action at clay-court events in Prague, Czech Republic and Todi, Italy.

Scheduled to commence on 17 August, the I.CLTK Prague Open 2020 by Moneta features six players inside the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. Top Czech and World No. 65 Jiri Vesely is the highest-ranked player on the entry list and will be joined by Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber and Dominik Koepfer, as well as Hungary’s Attila Balazs and Marton Fucsovics.

World No. 71 Pierre-Hugues Herbert is also on the Prague entry list, as well as Finnish No. 1 Emil Ruusuvuori. Sitting one spot off a Top 100 breakthrough, the #NextGenATP star is hoping to join the club immediately. Arthur Rinderknech, the 2020 wins leader on the ATP Challenger Tour, will be in Prague as well. The former Texas A&M University standout won 16 of 20 matches in January and February, before the tour was suspended.

India’s top-ranked player and World No. 127 Sumit Nagal knows it won’t be easy, with such a strong field right out of the gates at the Challenger 125 stop.

“I’m really excited to play matches again and get in that competitive mode,” Nagal told ATPTour.com. “It’s what we train for. Everyone is feeling the same way. No one wants to be home anymore after all these months. All the players are going to try to play as much as they can. I cannot wait to get on the court and hit the ball again. I’m just really excited.”

Prague kicks off a four-week swing in the Czech Republic, which opens with a two-week stop in the capital city and weaves to historic events in Ostrava and Prostejov. With the goal of minimizing travel amid the pandemic, it is an important cluster of events planned for the ATP Challenger Tour restart in August.

Another four-week swing will be simultaneously held in Italy, which opens with a Challenger 100 event in Todi. The tournament also features six players inside the Top 100 of the FedEx ATP Rankings. Federico Delbonis (2017 champion), Roberto Carballes Baena and home hopes Gianluca Mager, Andreas Seppi, Stefano Travaglia and Salvatore Caruso are the Top 100 stars on the entry list.

Mager was on a tear prior to the tour’s suspension, reaching his first ATP Tour final in Rio de Janeiro. Seppi also appeared in a Tour-level championship in February, finishing runner-up to Kyle Edmund at the New York Open.

The 2020 edition of the Internazionali di Tennis Citta di Todi is the first in three years, returning after the tournament’s decade-long run came to an end in 2017. Former finalist and World No. 16 Marco Cecchinato is also in the field, as well as #NextGenATP stars Jurij Rodionov and Alexei Popyrin. Rodionov was one of the hottest players on the Challenger circuit in February, winning titles in Dallas and Morelos and posting a 15-2 record.

Following Todi, the tour of Italy swings to Trieste, Cordenons and Parma. Many players competing in Todi are also on the Trieste entry list, including Cecchinato, Popyrin and Rodionov.

Doubles players don’t necessarily need to return aggressively to return successfully. Sometimes an consistent return placed accurately could be just as effective, forcing the serving team to hit a difficult volley.

Jamie Murray, a former No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Doubles Rankings, points to several players who stand out with their consistent returning, including 2019 year-end No. 1 doubles team Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah.

“The [Colombians] make a lot of returns. Bruno [Soares] is one of the best. He has been for a long time, certainly on the backhand side for sure, and his ability to put the ball in play and start the point is a big talent in itself,” Murray said. “[Ivan] Dodig as well has very good returns. [He has a] backhand money shot, can get the ball in play, but can also hit hard and be aggressive. Can hit both ways as well, which is another skill, to be able to hit down the line and cross-court.”

Soares recently had a group chat with Cabal and Farah in which they discussed who they feel has the best consistent return.

“You have an aggressive backhand, you’re able to generate a lot of power. Let’s keep talking about your forehand,” Soares joked with Farah. “Seb is aggressive with the forehand and he can generate a lot of power, but sometimes he uses the lob, which is tough for the opponents to beat. In terms of consistency, I may be a little bit better throughout the year. Just trying to be honest!”

Farah believes his partner, Cabal, has the best consistent return, but not for the reason you’d expect.

“Just to destroy Bruno’s ego,” Farah joked.

While players unanimously selected Lukasz Kubot as the best aggressive returner, opinion was far more split on who the best consistent returner is. In this installment of the ATP Tour’s ‘Ultimate Doubles Series’, Soares led the way.

Bruno Soares
“He’s very good at holding the ball and he makes you move, and then he goes in the other direction. He’s very good visually.” – Neal Skupski

“He just makes a lot of returns and avoids the net player a lot.” – Joe Salisbury 

Mike Bryan
“Mike is one of the best returners ever. We always had trouble serving against him. He’s always solid, it doesn’t matter forehand or backhand. He always puts the ball back in play.” – Marcelo Melo

“Whenever he has his hands on the ball, he’s going to make you play and you’re going to have to play a tough volley.” – Jurgen Melzer

Mike Bryan” />

Marcel Granollers
“I’ve played a couple matches where I’ve just gone, ‘What’s wrong with this guy?’ Hard, kick, slice, anything and he’s just always had answers for me at times.” – Robert Lindstedt 

“He’s a very good returner, especially off the backhand side. On the forehand side, he can go with the chip lob or he can dink it to your feet. Very crafty. He’s one who you’ve always got to be on your toes against.” – Neal Skupski

Ivan Dodig
“I know something about this. I’ve played with Ivan for a while. I’m the guy who is also shooting [for a poach] and he’s helping me out making tonnes of returns. He’s there every day and his level of return is very, very high.” – Filip Polasek

Ivan Dodig” />

Edouard Roger-Vasselin
“I feel like he can play both sides of the court, deuce and ad, he’s been really successful on both. Forehand and backhand alike he can hit the ball down at your feet seemingly every time. Maybe not the biggest return in the world, but he makes you play and you’re feeling just a constant pressure that he’s able to put on you with that quality.” – Rajeev Ram

Jamie Murray
“When it comes to just guys who are good at making balls and I needed a shot to be made… I think there are some who can put the ball low, can put the ball up above you. Jamie Murray finds a way to get a lot of points started and I think he applies pressure in a whole different way. While it might not be necessarily blowing you off the court, he’s testing your mind out there a lot and you’ve got to maintain good balance, because he can get the ball in places that are really tough to deal with.” – Raven Klaasen

The Citi Open is celebrating its 50th edition this year with one of the best fields in the history of the ATP World Tour 500 tournament. While the muggy heat of Washington, D.C., which tests out every players’ physical conditioning, endures, back in 1969, in the infancy of Open tennis, when doors were — in some cases, reluctantly opened to amateur, contract and professional players — a small group of dedicated individuals took tennis out of the traditional country clubs to a racially integrated district of the city. The original tournament team was small in number and facilities at Rock Creek Park were far from world-class, as they are today.

Donald Dell, one of the sport’s leading powerbrokers for more than 50 years, relays the story of how his father would drive Arthur Ashe back home through the night from far-flung junior tournaments, knowing full well that the shameful reality of race in the 1950s meant that if they stopped, they would not be able to stay in the same hotel. A decade later, a lifelong friendship already cemented and months before the first US Open, which Ashe won in September 1968, the pair was driving around Washington, D.C. and an idea was floated. “Why don’t we run a tournament here?” Ashe asked. “I’d like to play in it, but it has to be in an integrated area so black faces come out and watch the tennis. If you do it at a public park, a public facility and not a country club, I’ll play the event.”

Dell, and his childhood friend John Harris, had already run a number of exhibition matches for the Washington Area Tennis Patrons Foundation [founded in 1955], which had helped Dell for expenses to get him into junior tournaments. Now named the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation, the organisation helps to provide children with equipment, instruction, and financial means to play tennis. “In 1963 we ran the first exhibition and Chuck McKinley played, earning an extra $500 for help towards playing tournaments,” Harris told ATPWorldTour.com. “In 1966, the U.S. captain George MacCall rang up in May or June asking us for help to raise money for the Davis Cup team. He wondered if we could put together a preview to that year’s final, between American and Australian teams. We needed to guarantee $10,000, but the event raised $9,000-10,000 for the Foundation, its biggest cheque to date. It was after that point that we tried to work towards getting a sanction for a fully-fledged tournament.”

One year later, an exhibition match — a part of the ‘Summer in the Parks’ program — was held in the middle of a Washington, D.C. street near Lincoln Park, with Dell and Charlie Pasarell facing Ashe and Senator Bobby Kennedy. Dell, an advance man [looking after every public appearance] for Kennedy in 1966 and the presidential campaign of 1968, recalled to ATPWorldTour.com, “We had 4,000 people turn up, in the inner city. It was the final precursor to the inaugural tournament.” Harris adds, “We opted for Rock Creek Park, because it was a nice location and a huge park. Not many other clubs could host an event, for parking and the growth we foresaw. Buses took people to the park. We also wanted to help the Foundation in helping inner-city kids, so the tournament needed to be fully integrated.”

Early international calendars published for 1969, didn’t feature Washington, D.C., which would be held on green clay courts in the vast 2,000-acre park of a soon-to-be affluent African-American neighbourhood the week before the first grass-court tournament on U.S. soil at Merion Cricket Club, a private club in Haverford, Pennsylvania. Only the Swedish International Championships in Bastad [now named the SkiStar Swedish Open] and the Irish Championships in Dublin, held in the week immediately after the conclusion of The Championships at Wimbledon, are published for the week of 7 July 1969.

Raising funds and getting a title sponsor quickly in 1969 became a major concern for Dell, Harris and their three-man tournament team. “We needed to raise $25,000, which was an awful lot of money in 1968,” says Dell. “We managed to get four friends, Washington businessmen, to each guarantee $5,000. I put up $5,000, anonymously, myself. Incredibly, our long search for a title sponsor — The Washington Star newspaper — ended just six weeks before the event was due to begin.” There had been only two prize-money tournaments — the Pacific Southwest in Los Angeles and the US Open — in the United States in 1968, when the sport went open to amateurs and professional players, with purses totalling $150,000. In 1969, there were five open events out of 14 on U.S. soil, and prize money had nearly trebled to $440,000.

Dell, in his final year as captain of the Unites States Davis Cup team, was largely responsible for such an influx of banknotes and made North America a profitable tennis circuit. Bud Collins, writing for The Boston Globe, noted, “Acting en bloc, with their captain behind them, the [10-player] team informed USLTA [now the United States Tennis Association] tournament officials that they would appear at no tournament, which did not put up substantial prize money. They also made it clear they would enter into none of the old-style expense deals, and that they would boycott tournaments that did so with other players.”

Cliff Richey, who stayed at the Washington Hilton for the inaugural tournament, told ATPWorldTour.com, “Washington, D.C. preceded Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Washington had a $25,000 prize money pot, with $5,000 to the titlist. Cincinnati had a $17,500 prize money pot and less for the champion. It was Donald Dell who organised the U.S. tournaments that summer to offer the winner $5,000 each, to standardise prize money and professionalise how tournaments were organised.”

First known as The Washington Star International (1969-1981) — then, subsequently, as the Sovran Bank Classic (1982-1992), the Newsweek Tennis Classic (1993), the Legg Mason Tennis Classic (1994-2011) and the Citi Open (since 2012) — the venue had little in the way of on-site facilities. Players arrived on-site already in their tennis attire. There were no showers, media and tournament officials set up their desks beside fans in tents, while wooden bleachers were erected around one of three clay courts.

“Wooden bleachers had to be erected each year, there were tents and trailers for ball boys, volunteers, linesmen, players and tournament officials,” Harold Solomon, the 1974 champion, told ATPWorldTour.com. “A changing facility was built in the early 70s with a locker room, but to say it was modest would be an understatement. There were wall-mounted air conditioners, which barely got the temperature down to 90 degrees on hot days, plastic matts on the shower floor, metal lockers, with only room for a very small number of players at a time and limited bathroom facilities. Towels were at a premium, escaping the heat was the trick.”

“We once had Colonel Powell [the statesman and four-star general of the U.S. Army] as the referee for a while and he made sure the tournament was run like the Army. In fact, one time, after a particularly long break from a severe thunderstorm, my doubles partner Zan Guerry and I were defaulted by the Colonel when Zan was a few seconds late following the deluge. He was in the parking lot running up to the courts and the Colonel had his stop watch out and he counted him out while being two seconds past the allocated time!”

Thomaz Koch, who beat Arthur Ashe 7-5, 9-7, 4-6, 2-6, 6-4 in the 1969 Washington, D.C. final, recalled to ATPWorldTour.com, “I remember talking to Donald Dell before the final, asking to play best of three sets otherwise I would miss my flight back to Brazil. Well, in those days most of the finals were played over the best-of-five sets and this match was no different. After being two sets up, I got very angry to have to play another three sets and I was sure, by that time, my flight would be long gone. I finished my match in a big hurry. Donald provided me to be escorted by the police to the airport and the flight was even delayed so that I could make my flight and later connection.”

Harris, who was the head of Potomac Ventures, Inc., a firm which managed office and commercial space, also remembers, “At the trophy presentation, after giving a brief speech, Thomaz put his hand on my shoulder saying, ‘$5,000 is too much for one player.’”

Washington, D.C.-born Solomon said, “There was a certain air of excitement and open tennis was in its infancy. It was more like a family atmosphere. Fans were there not necessarily to be seen, but to be a part of an emerging sport that many of them and their families were participating in. It soon became an annual event that the community had taken on as its own.”

The tournament soon grew in appeal among Senators, Congressmen, business leaders and the well-to-do, with family members of former U.S. Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton watching matches or presenting the trophy in the first 30 years of the tournament. “A sitting President has never attended, but the WTEF had two dinners at the house of George H. Bush, when he was the Vice President,” remembers Harris. “Tim Henman once visited the White House and dined with one-time Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.”

From 992 seats on the west side of the main court in the first year, Harris, the tournament co-chairman until 1994, says, “We added 1,500 seats on the south side and a further 1,500 the following year, when we also created a locker room with showers.” In 1972, there was a major development when Dell and Harris donated the tournament sanction to the WTEF, making it the sole owner and charity benefactor. “In 1972, we gave them the sanction, so now they’re maybe the only charity in the United States that owns a professional event. ” By 1977, when a pro shop was built, there were 5,700 seats around the main court.

For the first 10 years, attendance records were smashed year-on-year, but in 1978 there was the threat of a shift in tournament week from the U.S. Pro Championships, played in Boston, on clay courts one week prior to the start of the US Open, which was being held at its new site in Flushing Meadows, New York. Longwood Cricket Club in suburban Brookline favoured shifting the U.S Pro tournament week to early summer in 1979, but did not believe it ought to change the surface to hard, as the US Open had done after three years of clay competition. Dell and Harris held firm, arguing that Washington, D.C. had built up a tradition as being the first major tournament in the United States after Wimbledon.

The green clay courts made way for hard courts in 1987, the year of Ivan Lendl’s second title, when the whole U.S. circuit reverted to cement. Jimmy Connors, Guillermo Vilas, John McEnroe, Lendl, Stefan Edberg, Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, Andy Roddick, Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro have all walked through the park and tested their skills at the ATP World Tour 500-level tournament. Today, the Stadium court seats 7,500 spectators. From the original five-man team in 1969, there are now 500 volunteers all on hand in or around the William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Center, which has become a world-class venue and, since 2011, a WTA Tour stop.  

WASHINGTON, D.C. TOURNAMENT ALL-TIME MATCH WINS LEADERS

There has been one constant that no player has ever been able to avoid. The summer heat of Washington, D.C. has always played a contributing factor in how well any player will perform at Rock Creek Park. There are stories aplenty when order of play start times had to be adjusted as the conditions tested a player’s physical conditioning to the maximum.

Marty Riessen, runner-up in 1971 and 1972, told ATPWorldTour.com, “I’ve never played in any other place like it. Playing in D.C. in the summer was hot and humid, more of an endurance contest. I remember my match with Tony Roche [in the 1972 final] when I had match point. I served and came in for an easy volley, but I was perspiring so much that my hand slipped on my grip and I couldn’t make the volley.”

Solomon recalls, “I was playing the Australian Phil Dent in a hot and muggy night match [in 1977]. We had this long, long match and I started getting cramps badly all over my body in the third set and after almost three hours, somehow, I won the final point and walked up to shake Phil’s hand and my hand cramped around his and I collapsed onto the court and had to be lifted off. The next day in the paper there was a picture of me victorious, but still shaking his hand while collapsed on the court in agony!”

Lendl, the 1982 and 1987 titlist, one of the fittest players of his era, told ATPWorldTour.com, “I still remember how hot it was! Both David Wheaton and I cramping in my three-set win over him in 1987.”

Andre Agassi, who earned a record five trophies from six Washington, D.C. finals, in addition to 44 match wins from 17 tournament appearances, admitted, “I always loved playing in the heat, but it was a constant negotiation. It was the only tournament in the world where I went through two or three shirts a set.

“I have so many memories, such as playing Stefan Edberg [in the 1995 final] and winning 7-5 in the third set on one of the hottest days and literally being sick in the tree planter by the side of the court. We were so tired, I hit the ball high up in the air and was sick. It was one of the first times both of us sat down during the trophy ceremony. We were so spent. Another memory is playing Petr Korda in the 1991 final and when we got to the net to flip the coin, I realised I had played all night matches and he all day matches. He had sun blisters all over his head. He was burned to a crisp and thought it was slightly unfair.”

At this year’s Citi Open, the focus of American attention will be on John Isner, who is looking to master the conditions and potentially become the 13th different American to lift the Washington, D.C. trophy – and the first since Andy Roddick in 2007. The 33-year-old arrives in the capital of the United States on the back of winning his fifth title at the BB&T Atlanta Open on Sunday. “I have made the Washington final three times, but I’ve never won it,” Isner told ATPWorldTour.com. “I’ve always played very well in D.C. I won five three-set tie-breaks in a row to reach the final out of no-where. No one knew who I was, I was fresh out of college. I certainly won’t forget my match against [Gael] Monfils in the semi-finals for a long time.” Isner, in the form of his life, will compete in one of the strongest fields for the 50th edition, boasting the likes of former World No. 1 Murray, Stan Wawrinka, defending champion Alexander Zverev and Kei Nishikori.

The Citi Open has always been a tournament dedicated to, and for the people, of Washington, D.C. Through the dedication of Dell, who acted as Ashe’s manager for 23 years and was a founding father of the ATP in 1972, and Harris, who stage-managed the tournament from his one-room office for the first 13 editions, the sport was brought to the masses — not just the privileged elite — in one of the biggest cities in the United States, a setting that combines history, beauty and a great atmosphere.

Two-time champion Andy Murray and Americans Tommy Paul, Tennys Sandgren and Frances Tiafoe have been awarded wild cards for the Western & Southern Open.

Murray, who claimed the Cincinnati title in 2008 and 2011, is the sixth Western & Southern Open champion entered in this year’s tournament, joining Daniil Medvedev (2019), Novak Djokovic (2018), Grigor Dimitrov (2017), Marin Cilic (2016) and Rafael Nadal (2013) in the ATP Masters 1000 field. The tournament will be held from 20-28 August at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A three-time Grand Slam winner, Murray is a 46-time tour-level titlist. In January 2019, Murray underwent a hip resurfacing operation. He came back to play doubles last June, then returned to singles competition at last year’s Western & Southern Open before winning the title at Antwerp in October. The Western & Southern Open, where he owns a 31-12 singles record, will be Murray’s first tour-level action in 2020.

Paul started the 2020 campaign by reaching his first career ATP Tour semi-final at Adelaide. One month later he was a quarter-finalist in Acapulco. In 2019, he was 30-5 on the ATP Challenger Tour with three titles. The 23-year-old will be making his second Western & Southern Open main draw appearance.

Sandgren has reached the Australian Open quarter-finals twice in the past three years. In 2019, Sandgren did not drop a set in Auckland where he claimed his first ATP Tour title. Sandgren played two seasons at the University of Tennessee where he led the Volunteers to the NCAA team final in 2010. He will be making his debut in the main draw of the Western & Southern Open.

Tiafoe was a quarter-finalist at the 2019 Australian Open, which came less than a year after he claimed his first career ATP Tour title at Delray Beach in February 2018. In 2017, Tiafoe defeated his highest-ranked opponent when he upset World No. 7 Alexander Zverev in Cincinnati to reach the Round of 16. The 22-year-old will be making his fourth appearance at the Western & Southern Open, where he has a 3-3 record.

Sixteen Top 20 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings are on the entry list of this month’s Western & Southern Open, the first tournament to be played since the ATP Tour was suspended in early March. Twelve additional players will join the field through a two-round qualifying event.

John Isner wasn’t even supposed to be in the main draw of the 2007 Citi Open. By the end of the week, the American captivated fans with a dream run to the final and established a pattern of producing clutch tennis in tie-breaks that has remained a staple of his career.

Isner, then 22 and sitting at No. 416 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, completed his college tennis career a month earlier at the University of Georgia. He expected to play the qualifying draw in Washington, D.C., but received a main draw wild card at the last minute after Fernando Gonzalez withdrew due to a back injury.

Competing in only his second tour-level event, Isner put the opportunity to use and scored his maiden ATP Tour win with a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) victory against Tim Henman. The match provided most fans with their first glimpse at Isner’s rocket serve, which regularly exceeded 135 miles per hour.

But he was far from finished. Isner scored four more third-set tie-break wins against Benjamin Becker, Wayne Odesnik, Tommy Haas and Gael Monfils to advance to the championship match. Monfils served for their semi-final battle at 6-5 in the third set, but Isner fought back and eventually collapsed to the ground in jubilation after prevailing 6-7(4), 7-6(1), 7-6(2). The American’s inspired run made him the first player to win five consecutive third-set tiebreaks at a tour-level event.

“If I had one win this week I would have called it successful, let alone five,” Isner said. “I would have been proud of just having a good showing against Henman.

“I was able to pull that match out and then it was just a snowball thing. I was getting more and more confident.”

Isner was finally brought back to earth against Andy Roddick. In a battle of big serves and crunching forehands, the top seed secured the lone service break in the opening set and held his nerve to close out a 6-4, 7-6(2) win. Despite the loss, Isner was more than satisfied with his week.

“I’ll always remember playing Andy Roddick in an ATP Tour final. You can never take that away from me,” Isner said. “It’s a dream come true, an unbelievable honour. I’ll never, ever forget it.”

The run in Washington, D.C. propelled Isner inside the Top 200. He made his Top 100 debut just six months later and has remained a perennial staple on Tour ever since.

Did You Know?
According to the ATP Performance Zone, Isner ranks second in the Open Era with 438 tour-level tie-break victories (438-284). The American only trails Roger Federer, who has won 460 (460-244).