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Isner, Johnson, Kokkinakis to Play Newport
61 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Scoop
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Defending Champion & Current World No. 9 John Isner to return toĀ Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open this summer
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Isner is a 3-time champion at Newport’s ATP World Tour event. AmericanĀ Steve JohnsonĀ has also committed to compete and Australian rising starĀ Thanasi KokkinakisĀ has been awarded a wild card into the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open this summer, which will be hosted July 15 – 22 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
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May 4, 2018 –Ā Current world No. 9 and No. 1 American John Isner has committed to return to the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open as defending champion at this summer’s event. Isner is a 3-time champion in Newport, having won titles in 2011, 2012, and 2017. Fellow American Steve Johnson will also return to Newport, and a wild card has been awarded to Thanasi Kokkinakis- a rising star from Australia. All three players have had some huge wins this season, with Isner winning the biggest title of his career at the Miami Open, Johnson repeating as champion in Houston, and Kokkinakis (then world No. 175) knocking out world No. 1 Roger Federer in Miami.
“I always enjoy being in Newport in July,” commented Isner. “The Hall of Fame is a really special place to compete and the fans are always terrific. This has been an exciting season for me and I look forward to having Newport be part of it.” Earlier this season, Isner won his first ever ATP Masters 1000 singles title at the Miami Open. Isner entered the tournament ranked world No. 17 and defeated three top-10 players en route to the trophy- Marin Cilic, Juan Martin del Potro, and Alexander Zverev. The victory propelled Isner back into the world top-10 for the first time since May 2014. His win in Miami was preceded by another huge hard court victory when he won the doubles title at Indian Wells, partnered with fellow American Jack Sock.
Topping off hist recent victories, Isner hit a major career milestone in April in Houston when he served his 10,000th career ace. The record puts him in the company of just three others who have ever done so- Ivo Karlovic, Roger Federer, and Goran Ivanisevic. The ball that Isner served his 10,000th ace with was carefully set aside by the staff at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston and then sent to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, where it is now displayed as a part of tennis history. “We’re looking forward to a great week of tennis in Newport, and John Isner, Steve Johnson, and Thanasi Kokkinakis will each bring a lot of energy and action to the competition. They have all seen some huge successes this year, and we’re thrilled to have them add Newport to their calendars,” stated International Tennis Hall of Fame CEO Todd Martin. Houston Champ Steve Johnson Making a Return to Newport Johnson returns to Newport for his fifth appearance, having twice been a quarterfinalist at the grass court event. Johnson is currently ranked world No. 55. Last month in Houston, Johnson won his third career title and second in Houston at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship. Both Johnson and Isner have also been part of this season’s successful US Davis Cup team, which is now heading to the Davis Cup semifinals in September. A Wild Card for Kokkinakis Kokkinakis will be making his first appearance in Newport, having been granted a wild card into the event. The 22-year-old from Australia is currently ranked world No. 152 and he has notched some big wins early in his career. In Miami in March, Kokkinakis came through qualifying, won his first round and then faced Roger Federer in the second round. He dropped the first set and then came back to take out the world No. 1 in three sets. Last season, Kokkinakis had a win over then world No. 6 Milos Raonic on the grass courts at Queen’s Club. In Los Cabos, he took out world No. 14 Tomas Berdych en route to his first final, where he fell to Sam Querrey. Tickets On Sale Now Tickets for the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open are on sale now onĀ www.HallofFameOpen.com. In addition to seven days of exciting pro tennis, the tournament features kids tennis clinics, a fashion show, and other great special events. Highlights for this summer include an exhibition match featuring reigning US Open Champion & Finalist Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys on Friday, July 20; the International Tennis Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony for Michael Stich and Helena Sukova on Saturday, July 21; and Invesco Legends Newport featuring Jim Courier, Tommy Haas, Lleyton Hewitt, and James Blake on Sunday, July 22. Tickets for all special events include access to that day’s tournament matches. ###
About the International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization that preserves and promotes the history of tennis and celebrates its champions, thereby serving as a vital partner in the growth of tennis globally. The Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island in the United States, but Hall of Famers hail from 23 nations around the world. The Hall of Fame honors these legends and chronicles the sport’s history in a comprehensive interactive museum in Newport and programming to celebrate the sport around the world. For information on the International Tennis Hall of Fame and its programs, visitĀ www.tennisfame.com.
About the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open
Hosted on the historic grass courts of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open is the only ATP World Tour event played in the Northeast and the only pro tournament played on grass courts in North and South America. The 2018 tournament will be held July 15 – 22, 2018. In addition to exciting pro tennis, a highlight of the week will be the International Tennis Hall of Fame Class of 2018 Enshrinement Ceremony on July 21. For additional information, visitĀ www.halloffameopen.com.
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« Previous 1 2Scoop Malinowski · May 9, 2018 at 1:13 pm
Hartt, Shapovalov is “the young pretender”? Do you mean contender?
catherine · May 9, 2018 at 1:44 pm
Scoop – I think Hartt was making an historical reference – the ‘Young Pretender’ to the British throne, Bonnie Prince Charlie. (1745 etc)
Of course Denis has a far better chance of gaining the throne tennis-wise than poor Charlie ever did in history.
Hartt · May 9, 2018 at 1:44 pm
Nope, I mean “pretender” as the threat to the throne – Milos’ throne as the top guy in Canadian tennis.
catherine · May 9, 2018 at 1:47 pm
Hartt – you were writing at exactly the same time as I was. ‘Young Pretender’ to me of course only refers to the most famous pretender.
Hartt · May 9, 2018 at 1:48 pm
Catherine, your response did not appear until I did Ctrl/R. You are absolutely correct, both about the “Pretender” reference and Denis’ chance as opposed to that of Bonnie Prince Charlie.
catherine · May 9, 2018 at 4:41 pm
Daria does it ! Out goes Muguruza. Garbine and coach need to do a bit of thinking about her game which has not been impressive the past few months.
Hartt · May 9, 2018 at 4:51 pm
Because I am a Dasha fan I watched that match – all 2 1/2 hours of it. Garbine had an astonishing 64 UFEs. But Dasha is a tough competitor – she plays great defense, gets so many balls back, and also can be aggressive. Her coach told her to make better use of her “machine,” her FH and it is indeed an effective weapon.
I felt a bit sorry for Garbine because this is her home tourney and the fans were giving her lots of support. But am thrilled that Dasha won.
catherine · May 10, 2018 at 2:45 am
Hartt – I share your feelings – great effort from Dasha. Never gave up.
I’m disappointed in Muguruza because she hasn’t developed her game since winning Wimbledon – I thought (wistfully) that she might become more of an all court player but now she seems to have retreated to the same old backcourt mode and isn’t doing that very well. Tons of UEs as you say, no net game to speak of, poor overheads, not any strategy I could note, except passive hitting. Maybe just hoping K would crumble, but she didn’t. Was enough to win a set, but not the match.
Garbine’s obviously in a bit of a state, mentally, what with coaching exits and too much time spent in off court activities and doing photoshoots. I don’t like to see Wimbledon winners play so poorly – it somehow diminishes the achievement. It’s ok if you’ve won several times, otherwise a W’don title (at M’s age) should be a springboard to bigger things. She showed so much promise in that match v Kerber but it’s hard to find the same player now.
Perhaps it all went to her head ?
Hartt · May 10, 2018 at 4:38 am
Catherine, I share your frustration about Muguruza, and also had high expectations for her. I enjoy good serving, and she was one woman with a decent serve. But, as you say, she needs to come to the net more and she seems unwilling to do that.
I haven’t given up on her yet, but she does need to show some real progress this year or she will be left behind.
Hartt · May 10, 2018 at 4:51 am
I remembered that Tom Tebbutt discussed Muguruza in a recent column on the Tennis Canada site. He was doing some fun predictions on which current players, aged 24 and under, had the potential to win multiple Slams and perhaps become a dominant player. He gave Garbine a good score of B+, but wrote this: “But while the 6-foot Spaniard is a good athlete and has all the shots, there’s something about her temperament that suggests that she won’t get to the rarefied air of high single or double digit Grand Slam titles.”
I think Tebbutt makes an excellent point – Garbine does not have the temperament necessary for a superstar.
catherine · May 10, 2018 at 6:31 am
Hartt – totally agree with you and Tebbutt – and I can’t somehow see Garbine grinding it out the way Kerber has over her career.
I found the Guardian piece on her extremely irritating but very telling.