Mardy Fish to Defend BB&T Atlanta Open Title
TREMENDOUS FIELD INCLUDES TOP FIVE AMERICANS ON TOUR AND
MORE THAN 20 OF THE TOP 100 PLAYERS IN THE WORLD
ATLANTA, June 11, 2012 – BB&T Atlanta Open two-time champion and world No. 10 Mardy Fish has committed to defend his title at the tournament this year, the BB&T Atlanta Open announced today. Fish will have a chance to renew his Atlanta rivalry with world No. 11 John Isner, who lost both previous finals to Fish.
The BB&T Atlanta Open will be held at Atlantic Station July 14-22 and is the first men’s event in the Emirates Airline US Open Series.
Additional U.S. players committed include Andy Roddick, Ryan Harrison, James Blake and Jack Sock. On the international side, the current entries include Kevin Anderson, Denis Istomin, Gilles Muller, Go Soeda, Yen-Hsun Lu, Leonardo Mayer, Lukas Lacko, Tatsuma Ito, Matthew Ebden and Xavier Malisse all currently in the world top 80. “This is the strongest field we’ve had since the ATP World Tour returned to Atlanta,” said Tournament Director Bob Bryant. “With the Olympics just following the BB&T Atlanta Open, we’ve had a great turnout of future Olympians headlined by the best of the U.S.”
Fish, who last competed at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Champions in Houston in April, is currently recovering following a procedure to address a heart condition. He is slated to return to competition in late June, a month before the BB&T Atlanta Open. Fish rose to the top of American tennis last year following his victory in Atlanta—which propelled him to the 2011 Emirates Airline US Open Series crown—alongside career titles in Houston, Stockholm, Newport and Delray Beach.
“Atlanta has become a home away from home for me,” said Fish. “The possibility of being a three-time champion in one of the greatest tennis cities in America is something really special. I’m also excited to see the new tournament site and play tennis in the heart of the city.”
World No. 56 Harrison reached the Atlanta semifinals last year and is considered one of the top young Americans on tour. Blake, 32, has been a mainstay of the U.S. tennis scene for a decade, reaching world No. 4 and winning 10 titles.