Delray Beach International Tennis Championships 2011 an introduction
The Delray Beach International Tennis Championships, scheduled to take place from 21 February to 27 February 2011, is one of the most anticipated events on the Association of Tennis Professionals [ATP] Tour.
The tournament is held at the Delray Beach Tennis Centre in Delray Beach, Florida. It was formerly a part of the ATP World Series (from 1993 to 1997) and the ATP International Series (from 1998 to 2008), before it was categorized as an ATP World Tour 250 Series tournament in 2009.
The event, which is also known as the International Tennis Championships [ITC], was formerly held in Coral Springs for five years from 1993 to 1998. It was known as America’s Red Clay Championships until 1999, when it was relocated to Florida.
The event has been held at the Delray Beach Tennis Centre ever since. The first tennis pro to win this tournament was American player Todd Martin, who took the maiden victory in 1993. In addition to this, it is the venue on which, American former Number 1 Andy Roddick made his debut in 2000.
The event has been part of the hard court season since 2000, although it was formerly played on clay courts for six years. There are 32 players in the singles draw, while 16 players participate in the doubles draw of the tournament.
The total prize money and financial commitment of the tournament comes to $442,500.
This year world number 8, Andy Roddick, will be returning to the tournament after eight years. This will be the fourth time he takes part in the event. His first showing in 2000 resulted in a first-round loss, as did his second appearance in 2001.
However, he managed to make it to the title match in 2002 before suffering another first round defeat in 2003. The top seed recently won his 30th tour title at the 2011 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships, defeating Canadian wild card Milos Raonic in the final in three tough sets.
Other players in the singles draw include Americans, Sam Querrey, and James Blake, as well as number 17, Mardy Fish, and number 24, John Isner.
Fish will be playing at the Delray Beach event for the eighth time. He managed to reach the title match in 2003 before losing to compatriot, Jan-Michael Gambill, and he scored his first win at the event in 2009 after defeating Evgeny Korolev.
Isner, on the other hand, will be looking for his second career title as one of the main draw contestants at Delray Beach this year. Argentine US Open champion, Juan Martin Del Potro, will continue on the path towards recovery, making his first appearance at Delray Beach.
The 2010 ITC was won by Ernests Gulbis of Latvia. He will not be defending his title, as he has opted to play in this year’s Dubai Duty Free Championships instead.
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