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Press Release: Mahut receives Wild Card into Newport Hall of Fame Championships
4 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Articles, Scoop
In addition, the record-shattering Frenchman will personally deliver memorabilia from the longest match in tennis history to be displayed in the Museum at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
NEWPORT, R.I., June 28, 2010 – Nicolas Mahut, who competed in the record-breaking longest match in tennis history at Wimbledon last week, has received a wild card to compete in the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, an ATP World Tour event, to be held July 5 – 11 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. This will be Mahut’s fifth appearance in Newport, where he was a finalist in 2007. While in Newport, Mahut will present the Museum at the International Tennis Hall of Fame with memorabilia from the monumental match between himself and John Isner, which lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes and spanned 183 games, shattering all previous records for the longest matches in history. The memorabilia will be displayed in the Grand Slam gallery at the Museum, beginning during the tournament week.
“Grass court tennis is a personal favorite of mine and I have always enjoyed my experiences competing in Newport. It is a fantastic tournament in a remarkable venue with great fans. I look forward to returning again this summer, and I am grateful to the tournament committee at Newport for allowing me the opportunity to compete,” said Mahut. “Also, the Museum at the International Tennis Hall of Fame is an incredible landmark for tennis. I am humbled and honored to have a piece of history from my career on display alongside memorabilia from the game’s greatest stars.”
Last week at Wimbledon, Mahut and Isner commenced in what appeared to be an ordinary first round match on Tuesday. “The Match,” as it has come to be known around the All England Lawn Tennis Club, went on to be anything but ordinary, with the two players’ strong serves and intense performance resulting in a three-day match that captivated fans around the world. In addition to breaking all records for duration of play, the match brought both Mahut and Isner to the top of the record books for the most aces served by a player in any one match, with Isner firing 113 and Mahut serving 103. After three days of play, Isner won the match with an unbelievable final score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 70-68.
“Nicolas is an excellent grass court player and he will certainly add to the competition among our field this year. We are delighted that he will return to Newport,” said Mark L. Stenning, CEO and tournament director for the International Tennis Hall of Fame. “In addition, Nicolas’ epic match at Wimbledon is a remarkable record in tennis and we are very happy that he has chosen to share memorabilia from the match with tennis fans from around the world by displaying it in the Museum at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.”
Mahut is currently ranked No. 148 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings. In February 2008, he reached a career-high No. 40. Earlier this year, he won the ATP Challenger event in Cherbourg, France. Grass court play has always proven to be a strong suit for Mahut, who has a 24-19 career record on the surface. He led the ATP World Tour in match wins on grass courts in 2006 (10-3) and won the Wimbledon junior title in 2000. Mahut has been a finalist in grass court tournaments two times – Newport and Queen’s Club, both in 2007. In addition, he has three ATP World Tour doubles victories to his name (Lyon – 2009 and Metz – 2004, 2003) and has been a finalist three additional times.
The Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships is an ATP World Tour event drawing 32 top male players to Newport direct from Wimbledon to compete for the Van Alen Cup and $442,500 in prize money. The player field will be a competitive one this year as it features top-100 players in the top eight seeds and four of the top-10 Americans on the ATP World Tour. Players scheduled to compete in Newport include No. 3 American Sam Querrey, No. 6 American Mardy Fish, defending champion and No. 7 American Rajeev Ram and 2002 champion and No. 8 American Taylor Dent.
Memorabilia from the Mahut – Isner match will be a fitting and exciting addition to the Museum at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The Museum chronicles the history of tennis from its 14th century origins to present day through an extensive collection of memorabilia, equipment, video, photography, art, fashion and more. The Museum’s collection ranges from the original patent for the game, which was issued by Queen Victoria in 1874 to Grand Slam trophies donated by Hall of Famers like Rod Laver and Monica Seles to contemporary pieces, such as the much talked about outfit that Venus Williams wore just a month ago at the 2010 French Open. The Museum is open to the public daily, year-round.
Tickets for the tournament are now available for purchase online through www.tennisfame.com or by calling the Tournament Office at 401-849-6053 or 866-914-FAME (3263).
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About the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships
The Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, an ATP World Tour event, will be held July 5 – 11, 2010 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum in Newport, Rhode Island. The tournament draws 32 top male players to Newport direct from Wimbledon to compete for the Van Alen Cup and $442,500 in prize money. Hosted on the legendary grass courts of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships is the only ATP World Tour event played on grass in North America. In conjunction with the tournament, the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum will host the annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, July 10. The Campbell Soup Company is the title sponsor of the tournament In addition, the tournament is made possible through the generous support of numerous Official Partners, including BNP Paribas, Corona Extra, Chubb Personal Insurance and Rolex Watch U.S.A. For additional information, visit www.tennisfame.com.
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Scoop Malinowski · June 29, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Really looking forward to seeing Mahut in Newport and how he plays his first event after the Isner showdown. Newport is one of the best events in the U.S., if you have not been there before, you must go once, if you ever get the chance. You might even get the chance to meet our own tennis prognosticator/eye for top 20 talent, Red. Mahut surely will have some tough competition in Querrey, Fish, Dent, Harrison, etc. and I’m curious to see how he handles his newfound fame and the expectations that go with it. Hoping he does well.
Dan Markowitz · June 29, 2010 at 8:57 pm
I’m definitely there on Mon-Weds of the week. I’ll be wearing a big hat that says, “I can pick out top 10 players, and Sam Querrey ain’t one of them.”
Newport is the best tournament I’ve gone to. It has a real personal, up-close feel to it. I call it the Fenway Park of tennis and the grass is real stuff, not this trumped-up Rafael Nadal, Djokovic Wimby grass. The best part of the city is once you get there you park your car and walk everywhere. The Hall of Fame courts are right on Belleview Ave and the museum even during the tournament is basically empty with cool paraphenalia and tennis videos. Ticket prices are a little hefty for the weekend, but during the week I think you can score a ticket for like $25.
Sid Bachrach · June 29, 2010 at 10:34 pm
The tennis H of F has some incredible stuff in it like the tennis shoes Guga wore to win the French Open (his blue ones) and Federer’s shirt from the 2007 Wimbledon finals and Bobby Riggs’ sugar daddy jacket.
Here is a question about the record shattering Isner Mahut match. Back in the day, all the matches at Wimbledon were best of sets with each set having to be won by two games. I am curious if there were ever any matches where each set had scores like 35-23. If you had five sets of this stuff, you might have more total games than Isner-Mahut.
Richard Pagliaro · June 30, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Red:
I hope to be there but may not get there until later in the week as I want to see the induction ceremonies. Are you leaving there Wednesday?