Tennis Atlantic

Johnson (@SJohnson_89), Haas (@TommyHaas13) Headed Back to Newport @TennisHalloFame Championships

NEWPORT, R.I., March 26, 2015 – ATP World Tour veteran and former world No. 2 Tommy Haas will compete in the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, R.I. this summer. Joining Haas in the player field will be American Steve Johnson, a two-time NCAA singles champion who has established himself well inside the world top-50 ranked players in just two seasons on tour. The Hall of Fame Tennis Championships will be held July 11 – 19 on the grass courts at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. It is the first stop on the U.S. summer swing for pro tennis, and the only ATP World Tour tournament played in New England.

“Tommy Haas and Steve Johnson are dynamic players who always bring a lot of energy to a tournament, and we know the fans will enjoy seeing them compete in Newport,” remarked Tournament Director Todd Martin.” Tommy has made history around the world with his spectacular career. He never fails to impress fans with his perseverance and skill on court. Steve is steadily building his career and has had tremendous results in the past couple of years. They are two great players to start off our field with, and we’re looking forward to welcoming them back to Newport to kick off the pro tennis summer season in the United States.”

Tommy Haas has been one of the top players on the ATP World Tour since late 1996. Over the span of his career, he has won 15 titles and was ranked world No. 2. In addition, he won the Olympic Silver Medal in 2000. He has made it to the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments, and he advanced to the semifinals at the Australian Open three times and Wimbledon once. Over the span of his career, Haas has made a successful comeback from significant injuries on multiple occasions with exceptional results. After reaching a career high ranking of world No. 2 in May 2002, he missed the entire following season, and then steadily climbed back in the rankings, returning to world top-10 in 2007. He again missed more than a year of competition in 2010 and 2011, returning to reach world No. 11 in 2013. Haas has been out this season due to a shoulder injury, but is training to make a comeback before Newport.

Steve Johnson is currently ranked world No. 43 and is the No. 3 American player. He was the NCAA Singles Champion in 2011 and 2012, when playing for the University of Southern California. He has posted consistently strong results in his first two years on the ATP World Tour. He reached a career high of world No. 37 at the end of the season last year, a result of having advanced to five quarterfinals, as well as the semifinal at Delray Beach. This season, Johnson has been a quarterfinalist at Auckland, Memphis, and Delray Beach. He advanced to the third round at the Australian Open before falling to then world No. 5 Kei Nishikori in four sets.

Additional players for the tournament will be announced in the coming weeks. The tournament has a history of attracting up and coming stars as well as veteran players known to be grass court aficionados. Champions in recent years have included Lleyton Hewitt, Nicolas Mahut, and John Isner.

—A. McLaughlin, International Tennis Hall of Fame