HOUSTON – Three former US Men’s Clay Court Championship winners – Mardy Fish, Fernando Gonzalez and Ivo Karlovic will all be part of the 28-player field for the 2010 edition of the tournament April 5-11 at River Oaks Country Club.
Tommy Haas, the 2004 event winner, had previously been announced as part of the 2010 tournament field, but a hip injury has forced him off the court for several months.
Joining the three former champions will be the entire US Davis Cup squad that will face Serbia next week. John Isner, who is ranked a career high No. 21 after winning this year in Auckland and reaching the final in Memphis, and Sam Querrey, who is at a career high No. 22 after winning the Memphis title, will play singles for the US. The No. 1 doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan, the defending Houston champions, will continue in their role as the doubles team for the US.
“When you’re six weeks out from the tournament and finally get the initial acceptance list, it always puts a little more jump in your step,” said Tournament Director Van Barry. “There’s an extra boost of energy seeing our list this year. To have the entire US Davis Cup team participating seems fitting for a US championship, and to have four former winners participating is also very special. On top of all that, rankings-wise this is up there for as deep and as strong of a field as we’ve had.”
Ten different countries are represented on the initial list, including six Americans among the 19 players. Joining Isner, Querrey and Fish among American players are Houston resident Michael Russell, Taylor Dent and Rajeev Ram.
Gonzalez, who is No. 12 in the World, won the tournament in 2000, while Fish won in 2006 and was followed by Karlovic’s win in 2007.
In 2010, the US Men’s Clay Court Championship will feature a smaller draw with 28 players, down from 32, meaning the top four seeds will have opening round byes. Those byes will be determined based on the rankings as of March 22, but if they were made today, Gonzalez, Isner, Querrey and Karlovic would automatically advance to the second round.
Other notable entrants include the 2009 ATP World Tour Newcomer of the Year Horacio Zeballos of Argentina, 2009 Houston semifinalist Evgeny Korolev and former French Open doubles champion Pablo Cuevas.
The cut off for this initial list of 19 players is a ranking of 87. Four players will be added through qualifying while three others will be granted wild cards. The remaining two spots are held as special exempts based on performance the week preceding the tournament, or, if not applicable, will go to the next players on the acceptance list.
Here’s a look at the full field and their ranking as of February 22, 2010.
Season tickets, individual sessions and the finals weekend “Champ Pass” for the 2010 are on sale now. In2009, the final three days of the tournament sold out by mid-week. Information on tickets can be found at www.mensclaycourt.com/tickets