Krueger, Ginepri, Thompson Nab Main Draw Wild Cards @TennisHalloFame
NEWPORT, R.I., July 5, 2014 – Wild cards for the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, R.I. have been awarded to past champion Robby Ginepri, and young Americans Mitchell Krueger and Clay Thompson, both of whom are making their ATP World Tour main draw debut.
“Newport has a long history of welcoming young players who have gone on to have highly successful careers, and we are happy to welcome Mitchell and Clay for their main draw debuts on the ATP World Tour. Robby has always had many fans in Newport. We look forward to having him back in Newport as he continues his comeback,” commented Tournament Director Mark Stenning.
Robby Ginepri is no stranger to the grass courts in Newport, where he reached his first ATP World Tour semifinal in 2002, and captured the title in 2003. He reached the second round two other times, compiling a 10-3 record for the event. This will be his fifth appearance in Newport, and first since 2009. Ginepri is a three-time champion on the ATP World Tour, having also won titles at Indianapolis in 2005 and 2009. A 13 year ATP World Tour veteran, Ginepri has been focused on a comeback this season after an elbow injury had him sidelined for the better part of last year. Earlier this season, he won the title at the Tallahassee Challenger and successfully qualified for Houston and Indian Wells.
Southern California native Clay Thompson just wrapped up a successful four year career for UCLA. He played No. 3 for the Bruins as a freshman, No. 1 as a sophomore, and No. 5 as a junior, due to an injury, before returning to the top spot as a senior. He had an 18-1 senior season, and was the No. 1 ranked player in the ITA rankings from January to May. Thompson closed the season at No. 2 in the ITA rankings, just behind teammate Marcos Giron. While at UCLA, Thompson earned multiple All-Pac-12 team selections and he was the 2014 Pac-12 Tennis Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Mitchell Krueger, age 20, is the youngest player in the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships main draw. He is ranked world No. 330 and has been climbing up the world rankings due to his success in ITF Futures tournaments, including three finishes as a finalist this season. Last season, Krueger, won the title at a Futures event in The Netherlands. In 2012, he reached a career high of world No. 5 in the ITF Juniors rankings and was the No.1 American junior.
—A. McLaughlin, ITHoF
Tennis Atlantic 