Mahut Receives Campbell’s Wild Card
June 28, 2010
NEWPORT, R.I. — 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).