A look at a few of the players to watch at this week's Atlanta Tennis Championships at the Racquet Club of the South in Norcross:
Kevin Anderson
Age: 25.
Nationality: South African
ATP rank): 35.
Best finish in Atlanta: Semifinals (2010).
2011 singles results, total earnings: 25-16, $445,033.
About: Anderson, 6 feet, 8 inches tall, played at Illinois from 2005-07, winning the 2006 NCAA doubles titles and reaching the '07 singles semifinals. … He won his first ATP event in his hometown of Johannesburg earlier this year. He donated a portion of his winnings to the Save The Rhino campaign to stop the poaching of rhinos in Africa.
James Blake
Age: 31.
Nationality: American
ATP rank: 89.
Best finish in Atlanta: R32 (2010).
2011 singles results, total earnings: 7-7, $111,297.
About: He holds an annual charity event, AnthemLIVE!, which has raised more than $2.5 million for cancer research. … He has won 10 singles titles and more than $7 million in his career. ... He had to wear a back brace for 18 hours a day when he was 13 years old after being diagnosed with scoliosis.
Mardy Fish
Age: 29.
Nationality:American
ATP rank: 9
Best finish in Atlanta: Champion (2010).
2011 singles results, total earnings: 22-14, $710,826.
About: He has won five singles titles and more than $5.4 million in his career. … Father, Tom, is a teaching professional in Vero Beach, Fla. … Fish moved from Minnesota to Vero Beach in 1985... He lived with Andy Roddick's family in 1999. ... He played on same high school basketball and tennis teams with Roddick that year.
Tommy Haas
Age: 33.
Nationality: German
ATP rank: 585
Best finish in Atlanta: first time time playing Atlanta
2011 singles results, total earnings: 1-4, $63,172
About: He became a dual-citizen of the United States and Germany in 2010 after living in Florida since he moved there to train in 1991. … He is a four-time Grand Slam semifinalist and silver medalist at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. … He has won 12 singles titles and more than $10 million in his career.
Lleyton Hewitt
Age: 30
Nationality: Australian
ATP rank: 174.
Best finish in Atlanta: R16 (2010).
2011 singles results, total earnings: 8-7, $148,052.
About: The former Australian Rules Football player has won 28 singles titles, including Wimbledon in 2002, and almost $19 million. … He has his own stamp in Australia … Though he lives in the Bahamas, he works with many children's charitable foundations in Australia.
John Isner
Age: 26
Nationality: American
ATP rank: 36.
Best finish in Atlanta: Finalist (2010).
2011 singles results, total earnings: 16-14, $522,616.
About: The former Georgia player, perhaps best known for winning the longest match in tennis history, has one win (Newport) this season to improve his career total to two. At 6-9, he is yet another tall player and big server who will be competing in Atlanta.
Xavier Malisse
Age: 30.
Nationality: Belgian.
ATP rank: 40.
Best finish in Atlanta: Quarterfinals (2010).
2011 singles results, total earnings: 20-16, $558,473.
About: Malisse has won three singles titles and five doubles titles on tour, amassing more than $4.5 million in winnings. ... He was a good soccer player growing up and has a single-digit handicap in golf.
Michael Russell
Age: 33
Nationality:American
ATP rank: 97
Best finish in Atlanta: Quarterfinals (2010)
2011 singles results, total earnings: 6-12, $184,444.
About: The Detroit native has never won a title on the ATP tour, but has played consistently well enough to earn almost $1.5 million in his career. … He enjoys playing on hard-court surfaces.
Ryan Sweeting
Age: 23
Nationality: American
ATP rank: 66
: R32 (2010)
2011 singles results, total earnings: 11-11, $252,606.
About: The 6-5 hard-server earned his first ATP win earlier this year on the clay courts in Houston. … He was originally born in the Bahamas but became a U.S. citizen.
Atlanta Tennis Championships
If you want to go:
Where: Racquet Club of the South.
Address: 6350 Courtside Drive NW; Norcross, GA 30092
When: Singles and doubles play begins Monday. Championships are Sunday.
What can you bring? No food or beverages are allowed except for 20-ounce (or smaller) water bottles (one per person), provided they are clear and made of plastic. Glass bottles, cans, coolers, ice chests, thermoses and picnic baskets are not permitted.
Tickets: Call 866-840-8822. Children over the age of 12 months require a ticket.
