Wednesday, July 16, 2014

World #5 Tomáš Berdych Joins Citi Open

Tomáš Berdych joins this year's Citi Open

From our friends at the Citi Open...

World No. 5 Tomáš Berdych Joins Impressive Citi Open Tournament Roster

Men's Singles Field Includes Three Top Ten Players on the ATP World Tour

Tomáš Berdych, ranked No. 5 on the ATP World Tour, joins the outstanding list of players committed to the Citi Open® Tournament, to be held July 26 - Aug. 3 at the William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park.

The highest ranking Czech joins fellow top ten players, including Milos Raonic (No. 6) and Grigor Dimitrov (No. 9), both of whom rose in the rankings since their successful semifinal Wimbledon runs.

So far in 2014, Berdych won his ninth career title at the ATP World Tour 500 event in Rotterdam, and his second doubles career title at Doha. Most recently, the 6’5” Czech was featured in ESPN The Magazine’s 2014 Body Issue. He last played in the Washington tournament in 2010 as the tournament’s top seed, on the heels of reaching the finals at Wimbledon, upsetting Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals and semifinals along the way. The 28-year-old has also been a consistent face in the top ten rankings each year since he broke through in 2010.

“The addition of Berdych to the tournament roster alongside other top ten players Raonic and Dimitrov speaks to the incredible strength of this year’s men’s player field,” said Jeff Newman, Tournament Director. “With three elite top ten players now, fans are in for a real treat.”

The superb men’s field also includes players just outside of the top ten - Japan’s top player, Kei Nishikori (No. 11); top American and 2013 Citi Open® runner-up John Isner (No. 12); and top French player Richard Gasquet (No. 14). Kevin Anderson (No. 17), Gael Monfils (No. 23), and Feliciano Lopez (No. 25), round out the men’s singles field in the top 25. In addition, Wimbledon doubles champions Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock will compete in men’s singles. The doubles field will be announced at a later date, headlined by world No. 1 team Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, who will vie for their 99th team career title.

The remaining spots will be filled with the winners of the qualifying rounds on July 26-27 and wild cards as determined by Citi Open® Tournament officials. Main draw play will begin Monday, July 28. Players are subject to change due to injury or other unforeseen circumstances.

The women’s field is shaping up to be great as well, with Wimbledon runner-up and world No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard leading the roster. American fan favorite Sloane Stephens will also return to Washington for the fourth time in her career, along with Wimbledon semifinalist Lucie Šafářová and Eastbourne titleholder Madison Keys.

The Citi Open® Tournament is one of only 11 elite ATP World Tour 500-level events worldwide and the only one held in the United States. The event is also part of the prestigious Emirates Airline US Open Series, the five-week summer tennis season that links eight North American hard-court tournaments to the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open. In addition, the Citi Open® Tournament features a WTA International Tournament. The tournament’s owner and beneficiary, the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF), provides underserved children in the D.C. area with a safe environment to learn critical life skills both on and off the courts through academic and athletic enrichment.

Ticket pricing and package details plus a full listing of the men’s player field is now available at www.citiopentennis.com, or by phone at 202-721-9500. Daily and single session tickets are now available through Ticketmaster. The tournament box office for walk-up sales opens starting Saturday, July 26, at 8 a.m. at the Fitzgerald Tennis Center.

For more information, visit the Citi Open® Tournament on the web at www.citiopentennis.com. The Citi Open® Tournament is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CitiOpen and on Twitter at @CitiOpen. The 2014 Citi Open® Tournament is a Lagardère Unlimited production. Citi Open® Tournament is a registered service mark of Citigroup Inc.