If successful, Isner would become the first U.S. men’s player to win the same event four consecutive times since Pete Sampras owned Wimbledon from 1997-2000.
Tickets for the tournament, scheduled to be played Aug. 1-7, will go on sale Tuesday. The sale coincides with World Tennis Day, which is a global initiative to grow the sport.
Isner, a former standout at Georgia, isn’t the only high-profile player to commit to play in the 250-point event. Fernando Verdasco has committed to make his Atlanta debut. Verdasco, a 32-year-old Spaniard, is a former top-10 player who is ranked No. 64. He defeated Rafael Nadal in the first round of the Australian Open in January.
This year’s BB&T Atlanta Open may feature a stronger field of international players than it typically has. The tournament will be held in the weeks between the Masters event in Toronto, which draws a strong field, and the Olympics in Brazil. Players who are competing in the Olympics may decide to compete in Atlanta as a warm-up for Brazil. Or, because tennis in the Summer Games won’t include ATP points that the players can win, there’s a chance that several high-profile players who have already competed in the Olympics may skip it and instead play Atlanta because there’s another Masters-level event in Cincinnati that begins Aug. 14. Playing Atlanta would be a way for the higher-ranked players to stay tournament ready between playing in Toronto and the Queen City.
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