DELRAY BEACH OPEN BY VITACOST.COM ANNOUNCES 2019 ATP TOUR PLAYER FIELD
Americans Steve Johnson, Taylor Fritz and Former Champion Jack Sock Join International Favorites Feliciano Lopez, Andreas Seppi and
Ivo Karlovic to Add to 2019 Star Power
DELRAY BEACH, FL – Today, the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com (https://yellowtennisball.com/) announced the latest player commitments for their upcoming blockbuster event set to rock the tennis stadium in downtown Delray Beach next month.
Joining an already star-filled line-up including former US Open and Delray Beach Open Champion Juan Martin del Potro (World No. 5), Kevin Anderson (World No. 6), Milos Raonic (World No. 17), ATP sensation Nick Kyrgios and 2018 Champion Frances Tiafoe are Americans Steve Johnson, Tennys Sandgren and former champion Jack Sock in addition to rising young guns Mackenzie McDonald, Michael Mmoh, Taylor Fritz and Reilly Opelka. Bringing the international flair to the field are ATP favorites Andreas Seppi (Italy), Feliciano Lopez (Spain), Adrian Mannarino (France), Bernard Tomic (Australia), John Millman (Australia) and former champion Ivo Karlovic (Croatia).
“We of course take huge pride in seeing the big names, the top ten and top 20 guys play on our courts, but I get a special thrill seeing the players who’ve come through our junior events over the years,” said Tournament Director, Mark Baron. “Reilly, Tennys, Jack and the others, they all battled here and pointed at the stadium and said, ‘one day I’ll be there,’ and now they are. You can’t beat being a part of these guys’ career that way.”
Making his fifth appearance and starting his season for the third consecutive year in Delray Beach this year, del Potro will play his first round match Tuesday, February 19th, at 8:00 p.m. following 2018 Singles Champion Frances Tiafoe at 6 p.m. in a blockbuster night of play.
Scheduled to play Tuesday, February 19th, during the day session are local resident Kevin Anderson and Milos Raonic. In the doubles action, the Greatest Doubles of All-Time Bob and Mike Bryan will play their opening match Wednesday night, February 20th.
Legends lined up to play the tournament’s opening weekend ATP Champions Tour event at the iconic venue include Tommy Haas (Captain), Tim Henman, Mikael Pernfors and Wayne Ferreira on Team World and Fernando Gonzalez (Captain), Jessie Levine, Jan-Michael Gambill and Jay Berger on Team Americas. Team Americas will be trying to end a two-year losing streak to the International squad.
The 10-day 2019 Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com will begin Presidents’ Day weekend (Friday, Feb. 15 – Sunday, Feb. 17) with the ATP Champions Tour legends team-event and ATP 250 qualifying tournament, continue with the ATP 250 singles and doubles main draws starting on Monday, Feb. 18 and conclude with the finals on Sunday, Feb. 24. Around the grounds, guests can also enjoy VIP fêtes, live music, top-shelf drinking and dining, family activities, and a local art scene.
New this year, opening weekend will see the inaugural First Serve Tennis Ball and ATP Pro Am. The “Tennis Ball” on Saturday evening February 16 will feature a lavish dinner and open bar with live entertainment starting at 6:00 p.m. followed by box seats at the Team World vs. Team Americas ATP Champions Tour matches. On Sunday, February 17, the Pro Am tournament will swing underway at 9:30 a.m. with 12 teams comprised of an amateur and an ATP professional player competing against each other. The top two teams from the morning session will play against each other in the Pro Am championship match on Stadium Court between the day’s two scheduled ATP Champions Tour matches. The championship match will include a chair umpire, ball kids, Hawkeye Live electronic line-calling and all match amenities afforded ATP pros, as well as a raucous crowd. For “Tennis Ball” tickets or to participate in the ATP Pro Am, contact Sonny Maken at First Serve directly at Sonny@firstserveusa.org or at 561-767-0220.
A complete schedule of all Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com match times and ticket opportunities is posted at YellowTennisBall.com. Tickets can be secured online or by calling 561-330-6000.
###
To view this press release, visit: www.yellowtennisball.com/releases/
Disclaimer – Match schedule, including number of sessions, dates, times, number of matches and players scheduled are subject to change. Tickets are not eligible for refund or exchange.
About The Delray Beach Open By VITACOST.com: The only tournament in the world featuring an ATP Champions Tour event and an ATP 250 event in the same week at the same venue is held in Delray Beach, Florida, February 15-24 at the Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis Center. The ATP Tour’s first North American hard court event of the outdoor season is one of just 10 ATP Tour events in the United States. 2019 will be its 21st year in Delray Beach, and 27th overall. The 3-day, ATP Champions Tour legends team-event is in its 10th year and was the first-ever event played on US soil. Each year the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com brings world-class tennis players and thousands of visitors to Delray Beach and Palm Beach County. In 2010, the tournament received the Discover The Palm Beaches Florida’s annual Providencia Award for its extraordinary contribution to tourism. The City of Delray Beach was also a finalist for the USTA’s “Best Tennis Town” Award and in 2003, the tournament was the recipient of an “ATP Award of Excellence.” For more information please visit www.YellowTennisBall.com.
About Vitacost.com: Vitacost.com, Inc. is an online retailer of health and wellness products, providing an award-winning experience to customers through its website, www.vitacost.com. Vitacost.com features affordable pricing and speedy delivery on nearly 40,000 items, including dietary supplements (vitamins, minerals and herbs), hard-to-find specialty foods, organic body and personal care products, pet essentials and sports nutrition products. In addition, Vitacost.com strives to motivate, educate and inspire healthier living for customers by creating and curating thousands of helpful tips, expert articles and recipes. Vitacost.com is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co. For more information, please visit www.vitacost.com.
About the ATP: The ATP is the governing body of the men’s professional tennis circuits – the ATP Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. With 63 tournaments in 30 countries, the ATP 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 2019 ATP Tour will battle for prestigious titles and ATP Rankings points at ATP Masters 1000, 500 and 250 events, as well as Grand Slams (non ATP events). At the end of the season only the world’s top 8 qualified singles players and doubles teams will qualify to compete for the last title of the season at the Nitto ATP Finals. Held at The O2 in London, the event will officially crown the 2019 ATP Tour No. 1. For more information, please visit www.ATPTour.com.
About the ATP Champions Tour: The ATP Champions Tour brings together many of the greatest tennis players in history for nostalgic, competitive and entertaining tournaments around the world. Players are either formerly ranked No. 1 in the world in singles, a Grand Slam singles champion or finalist, or a singles player on a winning Davis Cup team. Players must be retired from ATP Tour competition and each event can invite wild card entrants of its choice. The Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com features a team-format for its 3-day ATP Champions Tour legends event. For more information, please visit www.ATPChampionsTour.com.
About The City of Delray Beach: In the southeast corner of Palm Beach County on the Atlantic seashore, a Village by the Sea that began as an agricultural community in 1895 has become one of Florida’s most popular destinations for visitors, new families and seasonal residents. The City of Delray Beach encompasses slightly over 16 square miles with a permanent population of nearly 65,000 and growing. The City’s charm continues to garner national awards, including three in 2017: an “All-America City” award from the National Civic League for literacy strides (the city was also recognized in 1993 and 2001), a “Playful City USA” designation for providing 24 playgrounds for residents, and the recognition of Atlantic Ave as one of the “10 Great American Shopping Streets” by USA Today. In 2012 during the nationally televised “Best of the Road” special, Delray Beach was chosen by Rand McNally, USA Today and the Travel Channel as the “Most Fun Small Town” in America. In 2014, USA Today named it as one of the “Best Atlantic Beaches in Florida.” For more information, please visit www.MyDelrayBeach.com.
www.YellowTennisBall.com
Dan Markowitz · February 11, 2019 at 2:05 pm
Interesting that Escobedo today in the finals of the Qualis was winning against Eubanks, 5-2, 40-0 in final set and ended up losing. That guy has gone down fast.
Today, Bernie Tomic hits New York as does Noah Rubin tonight. No one ever seems to attend these early-day matches at the Nassau Coliseum.
The Delray draw is sick, although I think Sock pulled out with a thumb ligament problem.
Hartt · February 11, 2019 at 4:49 pm
Will post this here because the other thread is very long.
Naomi Osaka has announced on twitter that she and her coach Sascha Bajin are no longer working together. No reason was given. So much for getting the coach of the year award last season!
Dan Markowitz · February 11, 2019 at 5:16 pm
Not surprising as when they asked her at the Aussie O what she focused on before matches she said she rarely listened to what Sachin told her. Is this a case of ungratefulness or another example of when success happens instead of enjoying it both players and coaches often want more credit.
Scoop Malinowski · February 11, 2019 at 6:53 pm
The Osaka Bajin break up has to be about $$$. It always is. Why else would she prompt a change right after she reached the top? Rios did the same thing to Stefanki. The sad part of it was Bajin really was the spark Osaka needed, she suddenly became an elite champion after uniting with Bajin. She never won anything pre-Sasha, then she quickly won IW, beat Serena in Miami, then US Open and AO and no. 1, All within approximately a year of uniting with Sasha. Sad that he’s been let go, but surely he will be hired by another top WTA player very soon. I just read that Graf dumped Pavel Slozil after four years and she got to 3 in the world under his guidance. Sudden break up. Coaches are never safe or secure with these female players. Can anyone name one case where the girl stayed with the same coach from a very young age to success in the pros like Kuerten and Passos and Youzhny and Sobkin? I can’t think of any. Loyalty is a word not found in the tennis coaching handbook. Maybe it’s because there are so many other coaches out there to choose from and to gain a new voice and energy from. Now the question is who will Osaka hire? I’ll bet her email box is already filled up with a lot of hopefuls. Hey, maybe I will send her an offer too 🙂
Dan Markowitz · February 11, 2019 at 11:40 pm
I just watched the most embarrassing pro tennis match I’ve ever seen where at the NY Open, Izzie teamed with retired Brendan Evans and they got smeared by Quereshi and Gonzalez. Last week Izzie played with Kuznetsov and they lost, but at least Kuznetsov held his own. Evans was a joke. He couldn’t get a return or a first volley in play.
The New York Open is becoming a joke. Rubin, the New Yorker, plays and loses in first round to Jordan Thompson Rubin’s got arm problems, but the NY Open has visibility problems. No one’s paying attention to it. There were more people at my Bar Mitzvah than at the NY Open tonight and I never even had a Bar Mitzvah. This tournament never should’ve moved out of Memphis and if it came to New York, it should at least be in Manhattan.
catherine · February 12, 2019 at 2:18 am
Naomi’s very famous now and there are lots of pressures etc but don’t think she’s with a big management company. She should be because this situation would have been handled differently and the news not put out first on her social media.
Has echoes of Fisette/Kerber although Angie’s a lot older, has an agent and presumably knew what she was doing. But there again that wasn’t handled very well either.
I predict Osaka is going to lose her sweet little ingenue aura rather quickly.
As far as longevity goes, no, being a WTA coach certainly isn’t a job for life although Kerber was with Torben Beltz for several years, with one brief hiatus, and Serena’s been loyal to Patrick.
I imagine $$$$ were at the root of it but I feel, maybe unreasonably, a little sorry for Sascha, being chucked overboard in such a peremptory way at this time of the year. But I imagine he’ll be picked up quickly. (Caroline Garcia needs a new coach if Daddy can be persuaded to take a back seat.)
Re Graf/Slozil – I suspect Father might have been involved there too if he wasn’t ‘away’ at that time but 4 years was not a bad stint for the WTA.
catherine · February 12, 2019 at 2:28 am
Yes, Naomi has an agent but the message from there was ‘no comment’. The news should have come from them in the first place. As it is the whole thing smacks of immaturity and impulsiveness on the part of Osaka.
catherine · February 12, 2019 at 3:01 am
Naomi and Sascha unfollowed each other on IG a while ago. What a very contemporary thing to do. So probably there’ve been difficulties for a while.
I think it’s Stephanie Myles who points out that the current holders of the past 4 Gs have parted from their coaches – Simona/Cahill being the only one I actually believe was amicable.
catherine · February 12, 2019 at 5:11 am
Any of this to do with Naomi’s w/drawal from Doha ? Supposedly a back problem.
A jewel from pre-tournament chat with Kerber: ‘I’m really excited to come back because new buildings are here. They are building so much and the people are nice.’
Sometimes I wonder about Angie.
Mat4 · February 12, 2019 at 6:14 am
Scoop,
Do you have an idea why Bajin was fired?
Mat4 · February 12, 2019 at 6:46 am
Just saw all the answers. I hurried to ask the question, thinking it was fresh news… Alas… not so fresh. Anyway, Catherine and Scoop already gave a synopsis of the possibilities. Thanks!
Dan Markowitz · February 12, 2019 at 7:32 am
You know, Scoop, I was tempted to get in my car and drive the hour out to Uniondale, Long Island because of the first match of the day, Opelka v one of my faves, Mannario, but then you’ve got Garcia-Lopez v Klahn, Polansky v Harry and Schnur v the Columbia U #2 player, Lin. What kind of tournament is that? It’s a Challenger is what it is. On the second court they’ve got Melendez-Maceiras v Eubanks and Jung v Ramananthan. You know what the NY Open is? It’s Newport in the winter without any of the charm of the grass courts, the Hall of Fame, the quaint 18th century houses and mansions and the ocean.
This is really a very mediocre tournament. I feel embarrassed its in New York.
Hartt · February 12, 2019 at 7:39 am
Dan, re your comments about the New York tourney, American posters on Match Call Migrants were very frustrated that Tennis Channel was showing matches from there rather than much more compelling Rotterdam matches. So they shared your opinion of the New York tourney.
Fortunately my sports channels cover the ATP 500 tourneys but not thee 250 ones, so I am getting all the Rotterdam matches, but no New York ones.
Scoop Malinowski · February 12, 2019 at 8:20 am
Mat4 my guess is it’s a power play. In the majority of situations, coaches are treated as slaves by players. Some of the players are even abusive. I got this insight from a former coach of several players. Bajin earned and deserved a raise of salary and Team Osaka didn’t agree. That’s my theory. Pam Shriver has hinted there is more to the story and it will come out soon. Could there be a romantic twist to the story? Let’s wait and see.
Scoop Malinowski · February 12, 2019 at 9:17 am
Osaka was smart to avoid a big management company, she didn’t need one to become a big star and she can handle her career on her own with a smaller agent. She’s a superstar now and the action will come to her. And she does not have to pay the big agency the big cuts. Was she unfair to dismiss Bajin? On the surface it seems yes, but we don’t know what is beneath the surface. Djokovic does not use a big agency and he’s doing fine. I think for Osaka to emphasize she didn’t listen to much of what Bajin had to say was telling. Seriously, what could he have told her? She’s the one playing the points, winning the matches, winning the titles. If the coach is so important and good, why can’t he win pro matches? It’s a sticky debate. I have wondered for a long time the value of coaches, some are valuable – BG with Agassi and Roddick, Cahill with Agassi and Halep, but so many coaches seem along for the ride. Lundgren with Safin and Federer. Passos with Guga. Gully with Pete. BG with Andy. Some even coach for free.
Scoop Malinowski · February 12, 2019 at 9:19 am
Catherine we have to respect Osaka’s decision. Surely there must have been a hefty reason for her to take this unpopular and controversial action. Bajin comes across as a Bambi like innocent victim but again, there’s probably a lot more to this relationship beneath the surface.
Scoop Malinowski · February 12, 2019 at 9:26 am
Catherine, the problem for the coach is he/she has no leverage at all in the relationship. The players calls the shots, plays the matches, and endures the suffering and earns the joy. The coach sits around and in many cases, enjoys the luxury first class lifestyle and his only responsibility is to serve and provoke the player to win matches. If he fails, he’s gone. It’s a very challenging job to be a coach of a player especially a struggling player. We look at Mouratoglou and Vajda and it looks so fun and easy. But the majority of coaches are basically living month by month on the Tour. Yet these coaches keep signing up for it. We aren’t even talking about the coaches who run small academies and have waited for decades to find a potential pro player. And then when they think they do find that special player as a teenager, the parents don’t commit to anything long term and they soon lose that player to the next coach. Some of these coaches are great coaches but they never create an established pro, in decades of working with hundreds of different kids. Tough tough business.
Scoop Malinowski · February 12, 2019 at 9:27 am
Catherine, every single coach/player break up is spun to be amicable. The player wants to keep a good image and the dismissed coach wants to be hired by another player and can’t show disloyalty and animosity. The coach has to take the firing on the chin and smile.
Scoop Malinowski · February 12, 2019 at 9:30 am
Dan the NY Open has a dreary, empty feel to it on TV. It has to be the worst looking tournament visually on TV. The atmosphere is as dead as a convention for invisible deaf mutes. The tournament needs to pay Federer a billion dollar appearance fee to play singles and doubles and then it will be sellouts. I don’t know what else this tournament can do to succeed. Maybe give me and Cal wildcards and match us up in the first round 🙂
Scoop Malinowski · February 12, 2019 at 9:34 am
I can share more deep secret info about the natures of some of the WTA player/coach relationships, as I was told by a former coach, but not sure if anyone will be able to handle it. Let me just say that there is a lot of action in pro tennis off the court that a lot of these reporters who sit all day in the media centers have no way of knowing or learning. It pays to know and be friends with and actually play tennis with some of these former coaches who have an awful lot of stories to tell.
Hartt · February 12, 2019 at 9:37 am
Dan, I agree that the New York tourney seems more like a Challenger. I was very suprised to see the 7:30 match tonight is Schnur vs Lin. As a Canadian I have some interest in that match, but can’t imagine it is much of a draw. Apparently Lin got his WC by winning a tourney in Dec.
catherine · February 12, 2019 at 10:51 am
Scoop – what’s the use of all this deep secret info if you can’t share any of it ? I’m pretty sure I can ‘handle it’ BTW.
Gossip has been around since tennis began – you have women players and male coaches and rumours are going to abound. And back in my day the press room was fully aware of most stories because good reporters have contacts everywhere. ‘Stories’ is what a great number of these tales are. Some were and are downright improbable for reasons I cannot possibly divulge…
Gossip of course is free but libel suits are expensive.
On the amicable ‘spin’ aspect – coaches and players and agents can spin like tops but I’m sure most perceptive people can get a sense of what was amicable and what was most surely not. And in this age of social media the clue trail is pretty easy to follow.
Scoop Malinowski · February 12, 2019 at 11:07 am
Catherine, people are always gonna talk, might as well give em something to talk about. Details are short but the culture of the player coach relationship is the intrigue. Anything is possible. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
catherine · February 12, 2019 at 11:51 am
Giorgi has got Kiki Bertens 6-0 1st set. Kiki looking lost and bedraggled.
On line rumours are that Osaka’s mother has been IGing about being ‘betrayed’ – $$$$ I would think. Or something against the Japanese code.
catherine · February 12, 2019 at 3:19 pm
Kiki won in 3 sets. Julia G bt Tomljanovic in SS. Wozniaki, Garcia w/drawn. Sparse crowds in Doha.
jg · February 12, 2019 at 3:48 pm
Also, re New York–why isn’t Anderson even defending his title, the Dallas challenger at least had Kyrgios in doubles, and he lost first round.
Dan Markowitz · February 12, 2019 at 3:58 pm
Jg,
KevAnd has some type of injury, I think it’s a wrist. Opelka came back and won a big match today against Mannarino. It’s just if you look at the draw, it’s very weak. Tiafoe is the only exciting player in it really unless Izzie or Tomic floats your boat. There are no top European players in it.
I wrote two media queries to the tournament and never heard back from them. Last year, the club I play at hosted the pre-qualis and the tournament officials didn’t give away any free tickets to the club pros. That’s poor media and tournament relations. You have to engage the local press and tennis clubs.
Chazz · February 12, 2019 at 4:13 pm
Mannarino doesn’t seem to be what he was in past years but that sure is a nice win for Opelka. Tiafoe should win it unless his play has slipped since the AO. Tiafoe-Isner could be a good final as they had a couple really close matches in ’16 and ’17. Sounds like Sock is out 2 months after finger surgery. Pretty much guarantees he won’t make main draw in any of the 3 remaining slams.
Scoop Malinowski · February 12, 2019 at 5:00 pm
jg I would imagine a lot of players don’t want to be in New York in February. Anderson is probably taking the week off to focus on Delray, where he lives. NY Open is getting a lot of scavenger type players who desperately need some points and a good deep run into a draw. Still it’s an interesting array of players, let’s see who steps up.
Dan Markowitz · February 12, 2019 at 6:47 pm
Interesting that Opelka is now working with Jay Berger, who’s gotten a couple of big coaching gigs since leaving the USTA, Sock and now Opelka. Patrick McEnroe didn’t get any coaching gigs after leaving USTA, but maybe he didn’t want one.
Bad break for Sock. His descent has been storied since beginning of last year. He’s gone from being a possible slam contender to being possible Challenger fodder.
Scoop Malinowski · February 12, 2019 at 7:06 pm
Dan, Berger has been with Opelka for over a year now, he was with him in Delray Beach last year when Opelka beat Sock. Opelka is on the verge of a breakout.
Jg · February 12, 2019 at 8:57 pm
Jay Berger playing in “champions” tourney in DelRay, maybe they can give me a wildcard!
Hartt · February 12, 2019 at 11:13 pm
Catherine, a poster on reddit saw the IG that Osaka’s mother wrote.
“I thought about whether to post this or not, because I like both Naomi and Sascha and I’m not taking a side (just yet), but a few days ago, Naomi’s mom posted an IG story which I personally saw. “It hurts my heart when someone you trusted as extended family keeps lying about something not worth lying about.” Not word for word but pretty close. I found it odd so I looked at it a few times.”
catherine · February 13, 2019 at 2:09 am
If that’s an accurate quote it suggests a personal issue and one which Sascha thought more important than Naomi’s mother did. If so, we’ll probably never hear the truth about it, which is ok. Not everything has to be public. Even today.
Hartt · February 13, 2019 at 8:51 am
Yes, it’s true that we won’t likely ever hear the real story behund the Naomi and Sascha split. It could be as simple as Naomi thinking there was nothing more Sascha could teach her, although the abruptness of her announcement suggests something more.
Scoop Malinowski · February 13, 2019 at 9:15 am
jg, I’m first alternate, because I won Miami Open media tourney four years in a row 🙂
Scoop Malinowski · February 13, 2019 at 9:19 am
As far as I know, Sasha has said nothing in detail about the split, just the usual cliches. What is Momma Osaka talking about?