News

NEWPORT, R.I. — No. 3 American John Isner, the winner of two ATP World Tour titles this season, including Newport, will return to defend his title at the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in 2012. The tournament will be hosted July 9 – 15, 2012 on the historic grass courts of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Tickets for the tournament go on sale November 16, 2011 at 10 a.m.— just in time to make great holiday gifts for tennis fans. A pre-sale for members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame will begin on November 2, 2011, offering special discounts and first access to the best seats. Fans can purchase tickets and learn more about the tournament or Hall of Fame membership by visiting tennisfame.com or calling 866-914-FAME (3263).

“Newport was a great week for me this year, and I look forward to playing there again next summer,” said Isner. “It’s a great tournament- good fans and it’s a lot of fun to play in a venue with such an important history as the Hall of Fame.”

At the 2011 Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Isner defeated Belgian Olivier Rochus in the finals, making it through the entire tournament without dropping a set. The tournament was a turn-around week for Isner. After a slow start to the season, he won Newport and then went on to win the Winston-Salem Open at Wake Forest University in August- his third career singles title. In between those two tournaments, he was a finalist at Atlanta and a semi-finalist at Washington, D.C. In September, he achieved his best ever Grand Slam result, making it to the quarter finals at the US Open, before falling to world No. 4 Andy Murray in a very close match. Isner has made great strides in his ranking throughout the season, advancing from No. 46 before Newport to his current position of No. 23 on the South African Airways ATP World Tour rankings.

In 2010 Isner captivated tennis fans worldwide when he played an epic record-setting match at Wimbledon versus Frenchman Nicolas Mahut. The match lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes and set numerous records, including longest match and most number of aces by a player (Isner- 113 aces). Both Isner and Mahut donated their gear from the match to the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, where it is now displayed in the Museum’s Grand Slam Gallery.

Last year, Isner reached a career-high four finals, capturing his first ATP World Tour singles title at Auckland. He finished in the Top 20 for first time with a personal-high 38 match wins. In addition to his three singles titles, Isner has three career doubles titles, including the Newport doubles title from 2008, which he won with fellow American and 2010 Newport singles champion Mardy Fish.

The Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships immediately follows Wimbledon and it is the only grass court pro tournament in the Americas and the only men’s ATP World Tour event in the Northeast. In addition to a week of pro tennis, the tournament features great special events, highlighted by the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. The Class of 2012 Induction Ceremony will be held on Saturday, July 14. Voting is currently underway and nominees for induction include Jennifer Capriati, Yevgeny Kaflenikov, Guga Kuerten and Nick Bollettieri.

For additional information, please call the Tournament Office at 401-849-6053 or 866-914-FAME (3263) or visit tennisfame.com.