News

LOS ANGELES — The top-ranked American on the ATP World Tour, Mardy Fish, has committed to the 2011 Farmers Classic, presented by Mercedes-Benz, joining two-time defending champion Sam Querrey and 2008 champion Juan Martin del Potro in the field.

The 2011 tournament will begin on July 25 with super sessions beginning at 2 p.m. through July 27. It will continue with two sessions per day July 28-30 before the championship matches Sunday, July 31. Once again the Los Angeles Tennis Center on the campus of UCLA will host the 85th annual event.

“Mardy’s enjoying a great resurgence in his career, and we are going to enjoy having him back at Farmers Classic,” said Tournament Director Bob Kramer. “We’re less than two short months away from the tournament, and to have commitments from a Top 10 star and two former champions is fantastic. These early player commitments combined with the ongoing support of our great sponsor partners, promises an outstanding event this July.”

Fish comes out of the recently concluded French Open with a career high ranking of No. 9. In April, Fish moved ahead of Andy Roddick become the top-ranked American player. In 2010, Fish reached four finals, winning two titles. In 2011, he is 18-11, with three semifinals.

Fish is 7-4 in his career in Los Angeles, having reached the semifinals in 2008 and the quarterfinals on two other occasions.

Joining Fish will be the champions from the last three years in Querrey, who is a two-time defending champion, and del Potro.

Last year, Querrey defeated Andy Murray for the title in a battle of the tournament’s top two seeds. He is one of just six players to have ever defended their title in the 84-year history of the tournament, and is looking to join Hall of Famers Fred Perry (1932-34) and Don Budge (1935-37) as the only players to three-peat.

del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, defeated Roddick to claim the 2008 LA title. He’s won two titles in 2011, bringing his career total to nine. del Potro has been ranked as high as No. 4 on the ATP World Tour during his career.

Once again the Farmers Classic, presented by Mercedes-Benz, will benefit the Southern California Tennis Association. In 2010, the tournament and associated special events raised more than $500,000 for the SCTA and other charities.

Season tickets and mini-plan tickets for the 85th annual Farmers Classic presented by Mercedes-Benz are on sale now. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit FarmersClassic.com/Tickets or call (310) 824 -1010 ext. 251.

ABOUT THE FARMERS CLASSIC PRESENTED BY MERCEDES-BENZ

The Farmers Classic, presented by Mercedes-Benz, has been played every year since 1927, making it the longest-running annual professional sporting event in Los Angeles. Played since 1984 at the LA Tennis Center on the campus of UCLA, the tournament is part of the Olympus US Open Series, the six-week summer tennis season linking 10 ATP World Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour events to the US Open, culminating each week with back-to-back men’s and womens finals every Sunday afternoon. Players battle for $40 million, including a chance for bonus prize money at the US Open. Proceeds from the Farmers Classic Presented by Mercedes-Benz benefit the grassroots programs of the non-profit Southern California Tennis Association (SCTA) and UCLA. The SCTA offers programs, leagues, and tournaments involving 300,000 juniors and 50,000 adults and seniors. Information on tickets and the tournament can be found at FarmersClassic.com or by calling 310-824-1010.

ABOUT FARMERS INSURANCE GROUP OF COMPANIES

Farmers Insurance Group of Companies is the country’s third-largest insurer of both private Personal Lines passenger automobile and homeowners insurance, and also provides a wide range of other insurance and financial services products. Farmers is proud to serve 10 million households with more than 20 million individual policies across all 50 states through the efforts of over 50,000 exclusive and independent agents and nearly 24,000 employees.

Farmers is a trade name and may refer to Farmers Group, Inc. or the Farmers Exchanges, as the case may be. Farmers Group, Inc., a management and holding company, along with its subsidiaries, is wholly owned by the Zurich Financial Services Group. The Farmers Exchanges are three reciprocal insurers (Farmers Insurance Exchange, Fire Insurance Exchange and Truck Insurance Exchange), including their subsidiaries and affiliates, owned by their policyholders, and managed by Farmers Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information about Farmers, visit our Web site at farmers.com or at Facebook.com/FarmersInsurance.