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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Toni Woods, media@yellowtennisball.com
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 5, 2023) – Five players who were Delray Beach Open champions during their ATP career will be represented when the ATP Champions Tour legends kick off this year's tournament Feb. 10 at the Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis Center. The event has announced the legends player lineup and schedule of Opening Weekend Feb. 10-12, ahead of the ATP 250 tournament that runs Feb. 13-19.
Six-time Delray Beach Open champions and 16-time Grand Slam winners Bob and Mike Bryan will be joined by Grand Slam champions Luke and Murphy Jensen, DBO singles champions Jan-Michael Gambill, Sam Querrey and Ivo Karlovic, as well as former ATP pro, current Boca Bridges Racquet Club tennis director and DBO co-emcee Jesse Levine for the legends event opening weekend.
The weekend also features qualifying draw matches for the ATP 250 tournament, an ATP pro-am, Legends Clinics, non-profit clinics and special special pricing for kids and seniors. Kids and adults have opportunities to learn from the Delray Beach Open players in various clinics over the weekend, while more ambitious players can test their game by playing alongside and against DBO players in the scheduled pro-am events. See the full opening weekend schedule below for more information.
Identical twins Bob and Mike Bryan, fan favorites in Delray Beach and around the world, return to the courts where they won a record six doubles titles from 2009 to 2020, retiring from the tour after the 2020 title. They are the winningest team in the history of the sport with 119 titles, including a record 16 Major championships. They are the only doubles or singles players to sweep all four Grand Slams, nine ATP Masters 1000 events, the ATP Finals and Olympic gold. The brothers finished 10 seasons as the ATP’s No. 1 ranked team during their storied career. They are making their third appearance in the Champions tour event in Delray Beach. Bob, who is two minutes older than Mike, is left-handed, while Mike is right-handed making them “mirror” twins and an ideal doubles tandem.
They will be joined by another Grand Slam-winning brother duo, Luke and Murphy Jensen. The Jensens won the 1993 French Open doubles title, their first of four titles together on the pro tour, and finished that year as the No. 5 team on the ATP Tour. The brothers played this ATP Tour 250 doubles tournament together nine times, reaching the final in 1997 and the semifinals in 1996 when the event was played in Coral Springs. Both were collegiate All-Americans, Luke at Southern California and Murphy at Georgia. Luke, who is two years older, is nicknamed “Dual Hand Luke” for his ability to play with both hands.
Three former DBO singles champions will be represented, as well. Jan-Michael Gambill is one of only four players to win the ATP Tour event twice, which he did in 2001 and 2003. He also won the doubles title in 2001, making him one of only three players to win both titles in the same year. Gambill won three singles titles and five doubles titles on the ATP Tour. He reached the 2000 Wimbledon quarterfinals and held a career-high ranking of No. 14.
Perennial Delray Beach favorite Sam Querrey is new on the ATP Champions Tour this year, having closed out his ATP Tour career last season. He hoisted the DBO trophy in 2016 and played the ATP Tour event 12 times, tied for third all-time. Querrey achieved a career-high ranking of No. 11 and won 10 ATP Tour titles, collecting wins over No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic (2016 Wimbledon), No. 1-ranked Andy Murray (2017 Wimbledon), and former No. 1 Rafael Nadal (2017 Acapulco).
Delray Beach Open 2015 winner and Plantation resident Ivo Karlovic is recently retired and brings his powerful serve to the ATP Champions Tour. Karlovic held the record for most career aces on the ATP Tour with 13,728 until last year when he was surpassed by John Isner. He reached a career-high ranking of No. 14 and won eight ATP Tour titles. He holds the single-match ace records for the ATP Tour (45), Australian Open (75), Roland Garros (55), US Open (61) and Davis Cup (78). Standing at 6-11, he is tied with Reilly Opelka as the tallest pro players in history.
Canadian Jesse Levine is playing the ATP Champions Tour here for the fifth time and played the ATP Tour tournament on four occasions. Jesse reached a career-high ranking of No. 69, and captured the biggest win of his pro career over former world No. 1 Marat Safin at 2009 Wimbledon. Jesse was a doubles finalist in Houston in ’09 and won five career Challenger titles. As a University of Florida freshman in 2006-07, he put together a 24-1 record All-American season and was named National Rookie of the Year. He currently does tennis commentary for Canadian television and is Tennis Director at Boca Bridges Racquet Club, whose membership will be out to cheer him on in the Champions tour event.
The Delray Beach Open schedule for Opening Weekend Feb. 10-12:
Friday, Feb. 10
9:15 a.m. Mixed Doubles Mega-Mixer
6:00 p.m. Legends: Jan-Michael Gambill vs. Sam Querrey
8:00 p.m. Legends: Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan vs. Ivo Karlovic/Jesse Levine
Saturday, Feb. 11
Day Session:
9:45 a.m. Legends Clinic
10:00 a.m. USTA Florida Kids Day
10:00 a.m. ATP 250 qualifying match
Followed by ATP 250 qualifying match
1 p.m. Love Serving Autism Clinic
NB 1:30 p.m. Legends: Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan vs. Ivo Karlovic/Jan-Michael Gambill
Followed by ATP 250 qualifying match
*Ticket specials: Senior Day BOGO & Kids Day tickets
Evening Session:
6:00 p.m. Legends: Jan-Michael Gambill vs. Jesse Levine
8:00 p.m. Legends: Murphy Jensen/Luke Jensen vs. Sam Querrey/Jesse Levine
Sunday, Feb. 12
TBD ATP 250 qualifying match
10:30 a.m. ACEing Autism Clinic
11:00 a.m. ATP Doubles Pro-Am
11:30 a.m. Legends: Sam Querrey vs. Ivo Karlovic
1:30 p.m. Legends: Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan vs. Luke Jensen/Murphy Jensen
The ATP Tour 250 main draw tournament gets underway on Monday, Feb. 13. Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka and John Isner headline the tournament. Isner will play at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 14 (session 7) and Fritz will start his tournament Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. (session 10). Previously announced players Cameron Norrie and Denis Shapovalov will not play the event due to schedule changes, and Kei Nishikori has withdrawn with an ongoing foot injury.
A new Netflix series, “Break Point,” which follows ATP and WTA stars behind the scenes at tournaments around the world, starts streaming Jan. 13 when the first five episodes are released. The series trailer dropped today and Fritz will be featured in episode 3.
There are many special ticket offers for seniors, kids, USTA members, groups and multi-session tickets. Opening Weekend covers sessions 1-4. Sessions 1-6 are free for military, police, fire fighters, first responders and nurses with ID, based on availability. Senior Days offer buy one box or reserved ticket, get one free to fans 55 and older for the day sessions on Saturday, Feb. 11, Monday, Feb. 13 and Wednesday, Feb. 15 (sessions 2, 5 and 9).
All individual session tickets for the Delray Beach Open are on sale and start at just $42. Weeklong series packages can now be secured for a $100 deposit. Veranda series packages have already sold out but a variety of series packages are still available starting at $750, including reserved seats, courtside box seats and on-court “Best Seats in the House.” Packages include parking and exclusive amenities, making them an all-inclusive deal.
A Finals Weekender package starts at $300 and includes quarterfinals through finals tickets. Visit www.YellowTennisBall.com, call 561-330-6000 or email info@YellowTennisBall.com for more information.
Some of the world’s best players launched their careers at the Delray Beach Open. Former champion American Frances Tiafoe, now ranked in the world’s top 20, continues to light up crowds with his game and personality, and reached this year’s U.S. Open semifinals. Other recent Delray Beach champions include former U.S. Open winners Marin Cilic and Juan Martin del Potro, Grand Slam finalist Kevin Anderson, and multiple Grand Slam doubles titlist Jack Sock. Other competitors over the tournament’s entire 30 years of ATP tennis include a roster of Hall of Famers and fan favorites with Nick Kyrgios, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Tommy Haas, Patrick Rafter, Jim Courier, Michael Chang, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander and Jimmy Connors being among the most notable.
The Delray Beach stop on the global ATP Tour annually plays in front of over 60,000 fans and reaches television audiences in over 50 countries.
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Disclaimer - Match schedule, including number of sessions, dates, times, number of matches and players scheduled are subject to change. Tickets are not eligible for refund or exchange.
About The Delray Beach Open: The only tournament in the world featuring an ATP Champions Tour event and an ATP Tour event in the same week at the same venue is held in Delray Beach, Florida, February 10-19, 2023 at the Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis Center. The ATP Tour's first North American hard court event of the outdoor season is one of just 10 ATP Tour events in the United States. 2023 will be its 25th year in Delray Beach, and 31st overall. The 3-day, ATP Champions Tour event is in its 14th year and was the first-ever ATP Champions Tour event played on US soil. Each year the Delray Beach Open brings world-class tennis players and thousands of visitors to Delray Beach and Palm Beach County. In 2010, the tournament received the Discover The Palm Beaches Florida's annual Providencia Award for its extraordinary contribution to tourism. The City of Delray Beach was also a finalist for the USTA's "Best Tennis Town'' Award and in 2003, the tournament was the recipient of an "ATP Award of Excellence." For more information please visit www.YellowTennisBall.com.
About the ATP: As a global governing body of men’s professional tennis, the ATP’s mission is to serve tennis. We entertain a billion global fans, showcase the world’s greatest players at the most prestigious tournaments, and inspire the next generation of fans and players. From the United Cup in Australia, to Europe, the Americas and Asia, the stars of the game battle for titles and Pepperstone ATP Rankings points at ATP Masters 1000, 500 and 250 events, and Grand Slams. All roads lead towards the Nitto ATP Finals, the prestigious season finale held in Turin, Italy. Featuring only the world’s top 8 qualified singles players and doubles teams, the tournament also sees the official crowning of the year-end ATP World No. 1, presented by Pepperstone, the ultimate achievement in tennis. For more information, please visit www.ATPTour.com.
About the ATP Champions Tour: The ATP Champions Tour brings together many of the greatest tennis players in history for competitive and entertaining tournaments around the world. Players are either formerly ranked No. 1 in the world in singles, a Grand Slam singles champion or finalist, or a singles player on a winning Davis Cup team. Players must be retired from ATP Tour competition and each event can invite wild card entrants of its choice. The Delray Beach Open features a 3-day format.
About The City of Delray Beach: In southeast Palm Beach County, along the Atlantic seashore, a Village by the Sea that began as an agricultural community in 1895 has become one of Florida's most popular destinations for visitors, new families and seasonal residents. The City of Delray Beach encompasses slightly over 16 square miles with a permanent population of nearly 65,000 and growing. The city’s charm continues to garner national awards. In 2017 alone the city received three awards: the “All-America City” award from the National Civic League (NCL) for literacy strides (the NCL also recognized Delray Beach in 1993 and 2001), a “Playful City USA” designation for providing 24 playgrounds for residents, and the recognition of Atlantic Avenue as one of the “10 Great American Shopping Streets” by USA Today. In 2012 during the nationally televised "Best of the Road" special, Delray Beach was chosen by Rand McNally, USA Today and the Travel Channel as the "Most Fun Small Town" in America. In 2014, USA Today named Delray as one of the "Best Atlantic Beaches in Florida."
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