ATLANTA, GA, July 14, 2010 – The Atlanta Tennis Championships is proud to announce Hero Days, in which it will offer free tickets to members of the U.S. military, police and fire departments along with media on Saturday, July 17 and Sunday, July 18. The Atlanta event, owned and operated by USTA Southern, will serve as the kick-off to the 2010 Olympus US Open Series.

 

Active members of the U.S. military, police and fire department members and media representatives will receive free admission to the tournament’s Qualifying Tournament. To qualify for Hero Days, attendees must have a current photo I.D. from a military branch, police, fire department or media organization. Showing business cards with a photo I.D. will not qualify for entry.

 

"There are members of our communities who have earned a chance for Americans to salute their service. By giving members of the U.S. military, police and fire departments, along with media, free tickets to our Qualifying Tournament, we have the opportunity to show our deep appreciation for all they do," Tournament Director Bill Oakes said.

 

The qualifying matches will feature 32 players who will compete to earn four spots in the main singles draw. Most players in the Qualifying Tournament have an ATP World Tour ranking from 100 to 200 in the world. Players who have signed up to play include Americans Michael Russell and Kevin Kim, Gilles Muller of Luxembourg and Frank Dancevic of Canada.

 

Taking place from July 19-25, the Atlanta Tennis Championships will feature some of the world’s top ATP players, plus the US Open National Playoffs – Men’s Championship.

 

The Atlanta Tennis Championships will feature a 28-player singles draw and 16-team doubles draw. John Isner, who won the longest tennis match in history at Wimbledon, is set to be the top seed. Four-time ATP titlist Mardy Fish joins Lleyton Hewitt, James Blake and Robby Ginepri in the main singles draw. Concurrently, the men’s winners from 16 US Open National Playoffs Sectional Qualifying Tournaments will battle for one spot in the 2010 US Open Qualifying Tournament in Flushing, N.Y.

 

The Atlanta Athletic Club, Johns Creek, Ga., will be the tournament site. The ATP formally awarded the ATP 250 sanction Atlanta Tennis Championships to the USTA Southern Section in December 2009. 

 

Premium tickets and daily tickets are now on sale. To order daily tickets by phone, call 866-840-8822. For an order form or other ticket info, call (678) 527-2138 or visit www.bbtatlantaopen.com.

 

Now in its seventh season, the Olympus US Open Series has established itself as a true regular season of hard court tennis, linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. Fans can follow the action throughout the summer through national television coverage, culminating each week with back-to-back men’s and women’s finals every Sunday afternoon. Players battle for $40 million, including a chance for bonus prize money at the US Open. In 2008, Olympus became the first title sponsor of the Series. The Olympus US Open Series is also supported by sponsors American Express, Evian and Grand Marnier.

Sam Querrey won the 2009 Olympus US Open Series men’s title and Elena Dementieva won the women’s title. In 2007, Roger Federer collected the biggest paycheck in tennis history -- $2.4 million -- for winning US Open and the Olympus US Open Series. In 2005, Kim Clijsters also captured both the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series, winning $2.2 million -- the largest purse in women’s sports history. 

 

With 62 tournaments in 32 countries, the ATP World Tour showcases the finest male athletes competing in the world’s most exciting venues. From Australia to Europe and the Americas to Asia, the stars of the ATP World Tour battle for prestigious titles at Grand Slams (non ATP members), ATP World Tour Masters 1000, ATP World Tour 500 and ATP World Tour 250 events. At the end of the season the world’s top 8 ranked singles players and top 8 doubles teams, based on their performance throughout the year, will qualify to compete in the season’s climax - the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. To be held at London’s O2 arena, the event will officially crown the 2010 ATP World Tour Champion and determine the final South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings. For more information, please visit www.ATPWorldTour.com.

 

The USTA is divided into 17 sections, of which USTA Southern is the largest. The 185,000+ USTA members living in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee make up USTA Southern, and account for approximately 25 percent of the total USTA membership. The section owns and operates the Atlanta Tennis Championships, an ATP World Tour 250 tournament. A professional staff housed in Norcross, Ga., carries out USTA Southern’s daily operations, but policy is formed and much of the organization’s work is executed via a board and committee structure of over 200 volunteers. For more information about the types of programs and services offered by USTA Southern, visit www.southerntennis.com.

 

 

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Ron Cioffi

USTA Southern Director of Communications

Office: 678-527-2112, cell: 770-378-7856

Cioffi@sta.usta.com