Taylor Fritz

Taylor Fritz Looks To Do Something That Only 33 Other Men’s Tennis Players Have Done

October 23, 2024 by Admin

Taylor Fritz will attempt to do something that only 33 other tennis players have done in the history of the ATP Tour.

Fritz will attempt a “three-peat” at the 2025 Delray Beach Open, Feb. 7-16, 2025 as the ATP tournament announces the return of the world Top 10 player along with 2024 finalist Tommy Paul.

If he defends his title in 2025, Fritz will be the first player to win the tournament three times, and the 34th player since the Open Era of professional tennis began in 1968 to win at least one specific tournament three years in a row.

Individual session and series packages for the Delray Beach Open are available now at www.DelrayBeachOpen.com. A variety of up-close, unique seating experiences including On Court Best Seats in the House, shaded Veranda seats, courtside box and reserved seats are available. To view a video about the 2024 edition of the Delray Beach Open, go to “Let’s Check Out The Delray Beach Open ATP Tennis Tournament” here https://youtu.be/UN1L-JdF63g?si=iycuuuV1B_2_UiUe via @YouTube

Fritz would join an elite list of players who have won a tournament three consecutive years including legends of tennis Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg. Fritz would be the first American born after 1990 to three-peat.

After defending his title in Delray Beach last February and winning in Eastbourne, Fritz’s successful year continued in September when he reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open. He became the first American man to reach the final there since Andy Roddick in 2006. Fritz is in good position to qualify for the year-end ATP Finals and will represent the United States at the Davis Cup Finals and the United Cup.

Also returning to the tournament in 2025 is Palm Beach County resident Paul. In addition to his runner-up finish in Delray Beach, Paul won three titles this year and reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals. He briefly overtook Fritz twice this year as the No. 1 American, and has equaled his career-high ranking of world No. 12.

Fritz and Paul teamed up to win the doubles Olympic bronze medal in Paris this year.

“We are ecstatic to have both of our 2024 finalists back for 2025, and can’t wait to see if Taylor can pull off the three-peat for the first time in tournament history,” said Adam Baron, executive director of the Delray Beach Open. “We are proud to carry on the tradition of giving our fans a closeup view of Grand Slam finalists and their amazing games, and to offer an opportunity for Americans to play in front of their home fans. There is a resurgence of men’s U.S. tennis with five Americans ranked in the world’s Top 25, and the DBO is one of just eight ATP tournaments in the country to see them.”

Beyond the world-class tennis, the Delray Beach Open will once again offer fans parties, food and entertainment, including the Delray Beach Open Food & Wine Series, which sold out last year. New to the list of food events for 2025 are the Grand Tasting and Valentine’s & Volleys events to go along with the ever-popular Ladies Day Luncheons; Burgers, Bourbon & Brew; Tacos, Tequila & Tennis and crowd favorite Game, Set, Pour. Also, the Championship Weekend Brunches have been expanded to three days, Friday-Sunday, Feb. 14-16, with Saturday already sold out.

The 10-day party will begin with a Legends event opening weekend, Feb. 7-9. The qualifying rounds for the ATP 250 event will run Feb. 8-9, and singles and doubles main draw action starts Monday, Feb. 10 with the finals on Sunday, Feb. 16.

The Delray Beach stop on the global ATP Tour annually plays in front of more than 60,000 fans and reaches television audiences in over 100 countries.

Some of the world’s best players launched their careers at the Delray Beach Open. Delray Beach champions include former US Open winners Marin Cilic and Juan Martin del Potro, Grand Slam finalist Kevin Anderson, and multiple Grand Slam doubles titlist Jack Sock. Other competitors over the tournament’s 32 years of ATP tennis include a roster of Hall of Famers and fan favorites such as Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Tommy Haas, Patrick Rafter, Jim Courier, Michael Chang, Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander and Jimmy Connors.

DELRAY BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 17: Taylor Fritz (USA) celebrates during the semi-finals of the 2024 Delray Beach Open on February 17, 2024, at the Delray Beach Tennis Center in Delray Beach, FL.

Jannik Sinner Snuffs Out Taylor Fritz To Win The U.S. Open

September 8, 2024 by Admin

BY JAMES BECK

Jannik Sinner really never gave Taylor Fritz a chance in Sunday’s U.S. Open men’s final.

That’s what a world’s No. 1 does to the likes of a world’s No. 12.

But most of the full house of fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium probably had their fingers crossed that the 6-5 Fritz would pull off a gigantic upset. Fritz just wasn’t good enough to make the fans’ dreams come true.

ITALIAN MAKES THINGS LOOK EASY

After all, the likes of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev kept their total of 30 Grand Slam titles on ice in summer’s heat. But not the 23-year-old Sinner, who won his second Grand Slam hard court of 2024.

The slim, long-legged Italian made things look easy in the first two sets when he broke Fritz’s service twice in the last three games of the first set and then in the last game of the second set. The third set got a little more complex when Fritz broke service to go up 5-3, only to lose the last four games of a 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 romp by Sinner.

FRITZ DENIED BIG GOALS

That was it, and American Fritz was denied becoming the first American in 21 years to win the U.S. Open.

Of course, Sinner was the first Italian man to win the U.S. Open.

Just a few weeks earlier Sinner was just hoping that he would be exonerated in a doping case that threatened his chance of even playing in this U.S. Open.

The match had some great rallies that kept fans on the edge of their seats until Sinner spoiled their day and dreams. Sinner was in a league all of his own, especially in that last set when he could do little wrong when the set appeared to be in danger.

JANNIK DID MOST THINGS RIGHT

Sinner hit big, served big and moved like an antelope all afternoon while holding down his errors most of the way to victory.

The Italian looked fully capable of continuing his hold on the world’s top ranking in 2024. Staying healthy and making those slim legs of his grow stronger look like his main task for the rest of 2024. And don’t forget that long right arm that separates him from most of the world’s professional tennis players.

Just watch out for Alcaraz and Djokovic, and maybe a couple of newcomers to the top ranks of men’s tennis.

Just for now, Jannik Sinner is doing a lot of things right.

—

James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award for print media. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.

Jannik Sinner in action during a men’s singles semifinal match at the 2024 US Open on Friday, Sep. 6, 2024 in Flushing, NY. (Garrett Ellwood/USTA)

Durability Is The Key To Jannik Sinner vs. Taylor Fritz U.S. Open Final

September 7, 2024 by Admin

BY JAMES BECK

Taylor Fritz has finally made it to the top of the game, the American Grand Slam event. He is capable of even winning this U.S. Open.

But if his semifinal five-set survival against fellow American Frances Tiafoe was difficult, wait until he steps into the tennis ring against Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s U.S. Open men’s final.

Sinner will present a much more diversified game, a little different from the sometimes dull hit-and-return game that Tiafoe tossed at Fritz. The key is Sinner’s durability. If he has it for the entire distance, world’s No. 1 Sinner likely will earn a second Grand Slam title.

SINNER IS EVERYWHERE

Sinner, at 6-4, covers the court like a long-legged deer. He’s everywhere.

Fritz covers the same terrain, but in a different manner, not quite as smooth as Sinner.

Sinner seems to thrive on opponents who simply try to outlast him in rallies. Opponents such as his semifinal victim, Jack Draper, seemed comfortable in just staying in games against Sinner until the tall Italian pulled the trigger on his big game and pushed Drapper to places on the court he couldn’t handle.

Sinner seemed like in each game just to be waiting to get in position to close out a set in his straight-set 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-2 romp past Draper. The match wasn’t as close as the score.

FRITZ HAPPY TO TAKE HIS TIME

Fritz is a 6-5, 26-year-old who hits hard, too, but not quite with the same cutting efficiency as Sinner. Fritz seemed to be perfectly happy to play a lose-one, win-one match with Tiafoe until it came time to win two sets in a row to close out their five-set semifinal for at, 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Watching the matches on my laptop since ESPN had bailed out on Direct TV at a really awkward time for many tennis fans, the matches seemed a little less exciting but still entertaining. At least, you didn’t need to listen to the McEnroe-plus gang or go directly to the mute button. Yet, I still missed their chatter at times.

WATCHING TENNIS AND FOOTBALL

It’s tennis, not a football game where the announcers are so important in keeping you up with what’s happening on the field.

It’s a little more relaxing to unplug your laptop and sit in a recliner with the laptop in your lap, and watch tennis. You can even sit back between tennis games and watch your favorite college football team playing on the big TV.

—

James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award for print media. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.

Jannik Sinner hits a forehand during a men’s singles semifinal match at the 2024 US Open on Friday, Sep. 6, 2024 in Flushing, NY. (Simon Bruty/USTA)

Three Observations From Olympic Tennis At Roland Garros

August 6, 2024 by Admin

by Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

The tennis competition at the Paris Olympic Games was one of the best ever.

The nine-day event featured riveting matches, packed crowds and star players playing sizzling tennis while showing off incredible emotions while competing for their nations. The event was historic in that it featured the career swan songs for future Hall of Famers Andy Murray and Angie Kerber and likely Rafael Nadal, while Novak Djokovic completed his career Golden Grand Slam with his gold medal performance. (And Sara Errani did it too with her doubles gold alongside Jasmine Paolini.) And, to boot, it was played at some of the great sporting venues in the world, Roland Garros, the site of the French Open every year.

There are three other things that stood out for me in particular at Olympic tennis in Paris that I outline below.

“Olympic Crowds” Should Be A New Term (Replacing Davis Cup Crowd) – The crowds at Olympic tennis were amazing. Flag were flying everywhere, and even flags of countries not represented in the matches they were watching, as Rennae Stubbs talked about while broadcasting the match on Peacock. With flags, chants, singing and exurberant cheering, the atmosphere at Olympic tennis was top-notch. There was a time during the event where I was going to tweet / post on X that the crowds there are like Davis Cup crowds. However, since Davis Cup has dropped in visibility and atmosphere since the ITF changed the format that causes for more neutral matches, that atmosphere has suffered so the term “Davis Cup crowd” or “Davis Cup atmosphere” is pretty much gone. From now on, we should refer it to “Olympic Tennis atmosphere.”

Let’s See More Doubles – More doubles matches where showcased and received more attention at the Olympics than all four Grand Slam tournaments combined. Of course, you had exciting teams like Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz and also Andy Murray and Dan Evans and Tommy Paul with Taylor Fritz, but also teams of doubles specialists like eventual gold medalists John Peers and Matt Ebden and silver medalists Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek. It’s clear that winning Olympic doubles – and even just medaling in Olympic tennis – rates higher than a major championship. Same can be said for mixed doubles. As I said on my video version of this article here https://youtu.be/vfyfYfNsKQc?si=hGWB-43PfXQqfbWY The ATP, WTA and the Grand Slams should look into ways at getting more star players (ie singles players) to play in the doubles to add star power and excitement to that discipline. I have suggested many times that doubles and mixed doubles at majors should start after the second round of singles, as you can see me discuss here https://youtu.be/3fGp1JzwEsM?si=CZvWMyyaWiuVvIES and read about here https://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/21267 and the same for mixed doubles, as I wrote about here https://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/23464 The Olympic doubles matches were riveting and gave tennis fans and amateur players (who mostly play doubles) more a look at what top-level doubles looks like because it is seldom on TV or played on feature courts at events.

Olympic Match Tiebreakers Are Awesome – Your Olympic life hangs in the balance when you split sets and a 10-point tiebreaker decides if you are still alive for Gold or if you start dreaming about Los Angeles in 2028. I tweeted out during the Games that Olympic doubles match tiebreakers was the most exciting thing in tennis. I am a pretty jaded tennis fan as I have seen A LOT of tennis in my day, but I found myself screaming in excitement at some of the match tiebreakers at Olympic tennis – and without really a big rooting interest! In mixed doubles, nine of 16 matches where decided in match tiebreakers. The doubles silver medalists, Zhizhen Zhang & Wang Xinyu, played match tiebreakers in all four of their matches in Paris. Many players who wouldn’t normally play doubles or mixed doubles will enter two of the three or all three (like Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff did, for example) so they really want to win a medal which makes losing a match tiebreaker that much more devastating and making it that much more exciting for fans. In men’s doubles, 10 of the 32 matches where decided by match tiebreakers while nine of 32 matches had match tiebreakers in women’s doubles. All the gold medal matches in doubles where decided in match tiebreakers. The doubles silver medalists, Zhizhen Zhang & Wang Xinyu played match tiebreakers in all four of their matches in Paris.

Americans Putting “Big Four” Tennis Stars Into Retirement

August 1, 2024 by Admin

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

The era of the “Big Four” of pro tennis is gradually coming to an end. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were regarded as the “Big Four” for almost two decades. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic all won more than 20 major singles titles and while Murray only won four majors, he won two Olympic gold medals and often in the semifinals and finals at Grand Slam tournaments against one of the other three contemporaries.

As Murray’s career came to a close in the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles competition at the 2024 Olympic Games at Roland Garros, one interesting observation came over me. Murray and doubles partner Dan Evans were defeated by Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul 6-2, 6-4, sending Murray into retirement. Only the night before, another Big Four member Rafael Nadal, played perhaps the final match of his career, also in doubles, and was handed defeat by a pair of Americans, Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram. The American duo beat Nadal and his Spanish partner Carlos Alcaraz by the identical 6-2, 6-4 score ironically. Nadal was non-committal on his status, but it is speculated that he will no longer be an active player, especially when you saw the elongated wave goodbye that he gave to the crowd after the loss.

So at the Olympic Games, Americans have sent two of the “Big Four” into retirement.

Now, rewind to the 2022 edition of the Laver Cup competition in London, where Roger Federer made his farewell to tennis. He chose to play doubles alongside Nadal and who beat him in his career finale? A pair of Americans. It was Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock of the United States, representing Team World, defeating Federer and Nadal of Team Europe 4-6, 7-6(2), (11-9).

So there you have it, six different Americans ended the careers of three of the Big Four, all in doubles and all in international team events.

Now, what let’s see what is in store for Novak Djokovic as he soon faces his pro tennis mortality and if players from the United States can make it a clean sweep of the Big Four.

When The Coach For Taylor Fritz Rocked Roland Garros

June 3, 2024 by Admin

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Taylor Fritz has pretty much established himself as the top dog in American tennis the last few years. Although unlike fellow Americans Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, Fritz has yet to crack into a Grand Slam semifinal, his consistency throughout each season and had him ranked as the top American for most weeks.

The man who has been the main guiding force for Fritz is his coach Michael Russell, the Michigan native who played college tennis for one year at the University of Miami before he embarked on a tennis career that lasted until age 37. Russell’s high-water mark in tennis came at Roland Garros in 2001 when he led top seed and two-time French champion Gustavo Kuerten in the fourth round two sets to love and holding a match point in the third set before the Brazilian staged an epic comeback to win – and go on to win a third and final title in Paris.

The following is an excerpt from my book “On This Day In Tennis History” (for sale and download here: https://a.co/d/4RckiRc) where this famous match is documented.

June 3, 2001 – After fighting back from a two-set-to-love deficit and saving a match point against unheralded American qualifier Michael Russell, No. 1 seed Gustavo Kuerten shows his appreciation for the French fans of Roland Garros by drawing a heart in the center of the red clay court, collapsing inside of it and showering the fans with blown kisses. “I’m very emotional and everything I got in my life, nothing was for free,” says Kuerten, who defeats Russell by a 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-1 margin. “I had to fight a lot for everything I got so far. So I like this. I like the battles. I like these challenges that I always get in front of me. Today was special. Maybe one of the greatest feelings in all my life in the tennis court was today.” Russell holds a match point serving a 5-3 in the third set and after a 26-stroke rally sees Kuerten stave off elimination with a forehand winner. Kuerten goes on to win the title, defeating Alex Corretja of Spain in the final. Kuerten performs the same heart-drawing antic after winning the title and shaking Corretja’s hand.

Jan-Lennard Struff Wins Maiden ATP Tour Title In Munich

April 22, 2024 by Admin

A pro since 2009, Jan-Lennard Struff has finally captured his maiden title on the ATP Tour by winning the 2024 BMW Open in Munich. The fourth-seeded German defeated No. 3 seed Taylor Fritz from the United States, 7-5, 6-3 in Sunday’s title final.

In damp, cold (three degrees Celsius) conditions and in front of packed stands at the MTTC Iphitos, Struff showed some blockbuster tennis. Despite a difficult start, in which he didn’t get many cheap points on serve and Fritz made the German to always play one more ball, the World No. 28 Struff fought his way back into the encounter. He saved three set points in the 10th game and broke Fritz in the following game to secure the opening set after 45 minutes.

Soon, Struff took the momentum into the second set and gained another early break. Fritz didn’t get into many rallies afterward thanks to a powerful and dominant performance from the German. Struff took the balls early, had a good length in his shots and closed the match out with a commanding smash after one hour and 49 minutes. Then, the home favourite promptly raised his arms in celebration toward his team.

Struff: “Unbelievable feeling!”

“I have been on the tour for such a long time. It’s an unbelievable feeling to win my first title home soil,” said Struff, who was playing in the Munich event for the 13th time and didn’t drop a set throughout the tournament. “I played good tennis this week. I am very happy, as I beat many great guys. It’s just amazing to do it here in Germany.”

The Warstein native, who lost all three of his previous finals, could finally celebrate in the ATP Tour winners’ circle. At the age of 33 years and 11 months, Struff became the third oldest first-time champion after Paolo Lorenzi (2016 Kitzbühel) and Victor Estrella Burgos (2015 Quito). He earned €88,125 in prize money, 250 valuable ATP Ranking points as well as a brand-new BMW i50 M60 full electric car. Struff also received a traditional Bavarian Lederhosen, which he wore during the on-court ceremony.

“Congratulations to Jan-Lennard. You played amazing all week and great today,” said Fritz, who appeared in his first clay-court final. The 15th-ranked Californian collected a prize purse of €51,400 and 165 ATP Ranking points. “Thanks for having me and thanks to the crowd, who came out to support us. It’s a great tournament here. I had two pretty good years here.”

Doubles finalist – next up Madrid

Later in the afternoon, Struff returned to the court alongside his compatriot Andreas Mies for the doubles final. The pair, however, lost 7-6(6), 7-6(5) in one hour and 51 minutes to Yuki Bhambri of India and Frenchman Albano Olivetti. Struff will next compete in the ATP Masters 1000 in Madrid, where he lost to Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz in the championship match last year.

“It’s another special tournament. I am looking forward to the grounds where I had such a good time last year,” the German commented on the upcoming week in Spain.

BMW Open ready for the upgrade

Despite the challenging weather conditions this week, the organizers drew a positive conclusion.

“The weather didn’t detract from the tournament. We saw great tennis with some surprises,” said Christian Ach, CEO BMW Germany. The multinational manufacturer of luxury vehicles and motorcycles, headquartered only few kilometres away from the tournament’s venue, became the event’s main sponsor in 1987 and will remain so in the upcoming years.

“We are very pleased with BMW’s commitment, allowing us to continue our shared journey in the coming years,” said Fabian Tross, Board Member of the host and licensee MTTC Iphitos. He also pointed out that despite next year’s upgrade, the tournament’s character will not change. “We don’t want to lose our values. We aim to preserve tradition and the unique atmosphere, while remaining close-knit like a family.”

Christian Okon, Managing Director of the organizer MMP Event, stated that for the first time in the history of the BMW Open, all nine days of competition sold out completely before the start of the tournament. “We sold 47,700 tickets. That’s not an everyday occurrence. Despite the changeable weather, the fans were always close by. That delights us greatly and made it a lot of fun.”

Tournament director Patrik Kühnen added that players and coaches were very pleased with the treatment throughout the week. “We could witness world-class tennis right from the first day of the qualifying. We also had great matches and a fantastic audience at the Allianz Para Trophy, our first ITF Grade 1 Wheelchair event. Thanks to the entire team. Despite the tough conditions, everyone involved always had a smile on their face. Special thanks go to our on-court crew, who did a fantastic job ensuring that all courts were always playable.”

The 2025 edition of the BMW Open will return as an ATP 500 event and is scheduled for April 14 to 20.

Jan-Lennard Struff wins the BMW Open (Photo courtesy of the BMW Open via Getty Images)

Top American Tennis Player’s Announcement To Skip Paris Olympics

March 11, 2024 by Admin

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

The top American tennis player caused waves when he announced he was skipping the Olympic Games in Paris.

This was not Taylor Fritz, the top American men’s tennis player, for the 2024 Olympic Games at Roland Garros, but rather it was 100 years ago and Bill Tilden heading into the 1924 Olympic Games.

It was 100 years ago on March 11, when Tilden made his announcement, as detailed in my book “On This Day In Tennis History” (for sale as a paperback, electronic book or audio book here: https://a.co/d/5Thegg3

The book excerpt and the details can be found here:

March 11, 1924 – Bill Tilden announces that he will not represent the United States in the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. Tilden’s reasoning is that even if he wanted to play for the United States, the U.S. Olympic rule that forbids athletes from writing for newspapers prevents him from competing since he is contracted to write two articles per week. Writes the New York Times, “The tennis champion had never definitely announced that he would go abroad this year if picked for the Olympic team. Two months ago, Tilden said he did not think he would go because of the sharp competition expected in the national singles and in the Davis Cup matches. He said he regarded the Davis Cup competition more important than the Olympics and that he felt he could husband his strength for those matches in the event he is to be one of the contestants.” The USLTA also had enacted a similar rule for amateur tennis, but it is not scheduled to take effect until Jan. 1, 1925.

Read more about the history of tennis in the Olympic Games in my ebook “The Olympic Tennis Fact Book” here: https://a.co/d/dO6Cj7j

Taylor Fritz Becomes First Repeat Champion On Delray Beach Hard Courts

February 19, 2024 by Admin

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

It was an All-American Day on President’s Day at the Delray Beach Open.

On the day where Americans celebrate their 46 Presidents, it was Taylor Fritz, the current “Commander in Chief” of American tennis as the nation’s top-ranked player, beating the U.S. No. 2 Tommy Paul 6-2, 6-3 to win his seventh career singles title on the ATP Tour.

The final was bumped to the Monday President’s Day holiday due to rain in Florida and the cool and slightly blustery conditions aided the hard-serving and hitting Fritz against the mainly counter-punching Paul. Fritz won the 2023 title in Delray Beach beating Miomir Kecmanovic in the final and technically becomes the first player to ever defend their title at the city-owned Delray Beach Tennis Center. However, the tournament used to be played on clay in the nearby city of Coral Springs, Florida – where it was dubbed “America’s Red Clay Championships” – and Australian Jason Stoltenberg won consecutive titles there in 1996 and 1997. The event moved to the hard courts in Delray Beach in 1999.

Fritz has been the flag bearer for American tennis for most of the last two years as the highest-ranked American player. However, unlike his compatriots Paul, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton, he has not broken through to reach a Grand Slam semifinal, although he has reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon. His signature win came when he won the title at the ATP 1000-level event in Indian Wells, California in 2022 defeating Rafael Nadal in the final. His career high ranking is No. 5.

Paul entered the final with a seven-match winning streak that included his second career ATP Tour title in Dallas played indoors the previous week.

The Delray Beach Open is fast becoming a fan favorite event played in mid-February that attracts not only Florida seasonal snowbirds, the fast-growing number of full-time Florida residents but also vacationing tennis fans from colder winter climates. The 2024 event attracted a total of 67,175 fans over the 10 days and 17 sessions of the event, an all-time record.

To see a review video of the look, feel and vibe of the tournament, watch this video on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/UN1L-JdF63g?si=fPeAF4v3etyvrvur

Fan-Friendly Delray Beach Open Smart To Promote Star Start Times Well In Advance

February 6, 2024 by Admin

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

The Delray Beach Open ATP 250 event in Delray Beach, Florida continues to be very fan friendly with its excellent pre-event promotion.

The tournament, run by former University of Georgia All-American Ivan Baron and his family, always make it a point to promote in advance WHEN exactly their top-ranked players are playing! This allows fans, with weeks of notice, to properly plan their week of tennis view so that can for sure see their favorite top players competing in the event.

In an advance press release touting that Frances Tiafoe will among the 2024 field of competitors, the tournament made sure to announce “Tiafoe will play his first match at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15.” It then also promotes that defending champion Taylor Fritz will begin his title defense at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 14, and that Tommy Paul, another of the leading entries, will play his first match during Thursday’s day session.

In my column in 2020 on the Delray Beach Open, I discussed promoting the advanced start times for the star players and how the tournament really understood “Tennis Promotion 101” as you can read here https://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/18290

The 2024 Delray Beach Open will played Feb. 9-18 and tickets are on sale at DelrayBeachOpen.com.

The event starts on Friday, February 9 with what the tournament calls an ATP Champions Tour Legends event, although there really isn’t an ATP Champions Tour anymore and this event is just a series of attractive exhibition singles and doubles matches featuring the Bryan Brothers, the Jensen Brothers, Ivo Karlovic, Sam Querrey among others.

The Delray Beach stop on the global ATP Tour annually plays in front of over 60,000 fans and reaches television audiences in nearly 90 countries. The tournament is the first North American hard court event of the outdoor season, and one of just 10 ATP Tour events in the United States.

Chris Eubanks Gets Davis Cup Nod For USA Against Ukraine In Lithuania

January 5, 2024 by Admin

by Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

The incredible run of Chris Eubanks in 2023 from an ATP ranking of No. 119 into the top 30 that included his first ATP singles title and a run to the quarterfinals of Wimbledon has now earned him a spot on the U.S. Davis Cup team.

The USTA and U.S. Davis Cup Captain Bob Bryan announced that Eubanks would join Taylor Fritz, Sebastian Korda and doubles specialists Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram on the U.S. team in its 2024 Davis Cup Qualifying tie with Ukraine. The match will be played February 1-2 – just four days after the conclusion of the Australian Open – at SEB Arena in Vilnius, Lithuania, due to the Ukrainian war against invasion from Russia that would obviously make play in Ukraine too dangerous.

Interestingly enough, the SEB Arena will also host the Davis Cup World Group I tie between Lithuania and Georgia on February 3-4. Both ties will be played on an indoor hard court.

Eubanks, a former standout from Georgia Tech, began the 2023 season more noted for his cameo appearances as a commentator on Tennis Channel, but his commentating helped improve his focus on tennis strategy and his results immediately improved, starting with a quarterfinal run at the Miami Open in March. He then won his first ATP singles title at the grass court event Mallorca, Spain. He translated that confidence into reaching the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, where his popularity grew well beyond tennis circles as documented here: https://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/22209

Wimbledon Platform Makes Chris Eubanks Go Viral Beyond Tennis World

The USTA press release states the following when making the announcement, but without any provided quotes from Eubanks or U.S. captain Bryan nor making them available via a media conference: “The U.S.-Ukraine Qualifier is a best-of-five match series, beginning with two singles matches on Thursday, February 1, beginning at 6 p.m. local time (11 a.m. ET). A doubles match and two reverse singles matches will follow on Friday, February 2, beginning at 5 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET). The first to win three of those matches will advance to the 2024 Davis Cup Finals – a 16-nation, multi-city competition held later this year, culminating with the Final 8 stage in November in Malaga, Spain.”

The USTA writes, “This will be the first meeting between the U.S. and Ukraine in Davis Cup, though the U.S. notably hosted Ukraine in a 2022 Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier in Asheville, N.C., that helped raise more than $1 million for Ukraine crisis relief through the Tennis Plays for Peace initiative.”

“The U.S. qualified for the Group Stage of the Davis Cup Finals last year but returned to this year’s Qualifying pool after failing to advance to the Final 8. Ukraine was promoted to the Qualifying pool this year after defeating Colombia in a World Group I tie in September.

“Fritz, 26, is the top-ranked American man in singles at No. 10. He’s played eight Davis Cup ties for the U.S. since debuting in 2019 and has a 5-3 Davis Cup singles record.

“Korda, 23, is ranked No. 24 in singles. This is his second Davis Cup nomination, after debuting with a singles victory over Colombia’s Nicolas Mejia in 2022 Qualifying.

“Eubanks, 27, is ranked No. 34 in singles. This is his debut Davis Cup nomination, coming on the heels of a 2023 season that saw him win his first ATP singles title and reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

“Krajicek, 33, is the current world doubles No. 1 and went 3-1 in Davis Cup doubles in 2023. He won five doubles titles in 2023 and finished the year ranked No. 1, only the fifth American man in the history of the ATP doubles rankings to do so.

“Ram, 39, is ranked No. 6 in doubles and is a former world doubles No. 1. He won his fourth doubles major and third straight US Open title in 2023 and is 7-2 all-time in Davis Cup doubles.

“Davis Cup is the World Cup of Men’s Tennis and is the largest international team competition in world sport, with nearly 150 nations competing each year.

“For more information, including access to player and historical records, visit www.usta.com/daviscup or www.daviscup.com.

# # #

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization, it invests 100 percent of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, one of the highest-attended annual sporting events in the world, along with approximately 100 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., and selects the teams for Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s philanthropic entity, the USTA Foundation, provides grants and scholarships in addition to supporting tennis and education programs nationwide to benefit under-resourced youth through the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. For more information about the USTA, go to USTA.com or follow the official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X) and TikTok.

Taylor Fritz Favored To Reach Australian Open Semifinal

January 13, 2023 by Admin

2022 was a breakout year for Taylor Fritz. He finished the year 9^th in the world and had career best showings at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Fritz even made it to the Tour Finals semifinals. Now sportsbooks believe that Fritz will take the next step and reach his first career semifinal.

Fritz is given +225 odds, or an implied 30.8% chance to win his quarter. Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev are expected to be his biggest competition as both are given +450 odds, or an implied 18.2% chance. Matteo Berrettini is also expected to be a factor at +500, or an implied 16.7% to win the quarter.

Fritz is also given +2000 odds to win the Australian Open, the 6^th best odds on the market. Those are the best odds any American has been given to win a Grand Slam title since Mardy Fish was given +2000 odds to win the 2011 US Open, more than a decade ago. Fish would lose an epic 5-set match to Joe-Wilfred Tsonga in the 4^th round that year.

Quote from OddsChecker spokesman Kyle Newman, “The books certainly have high expectations for Taylor Fritz, the highest any American has had in over a decade. He’s not the only one though. Sebastian Korda is given +700 odds to win his quarter, 3^rd best odds behind only Medvedev and Nadal. The books clearly think that American tennis is close to coming back after two decades without a grand slam title.”

If you use any of the data or quotes from this press release please credit OddsChecker by using the following link: https://www.oddschecker.com/us/tennis/australian-open-mens

4th QUARTER WINNER