Monfils receives wildcard for Winston-Salem
August 3, 2012
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Gael Monfils will compete in the Winston-Salem Open at Wake Forest University Aug. 18-25. He is the second wildcard player named to the tournament and is currently ranked No. 19 after being as high as No. 7 in the world in April 2011.
Many tennis observers consider Monfils to be the most athletic player on the ATP World Tour. He has won four career ATP World Tour titles and has been a runner-up 13 times, including twice earlier this year. Monfils lost the Doha final to Tsonga early in the year. He holds an impressive junior record, including being a former World No. 1 junior.
Monfils missed the Olympics, Wimbledon and Roland Garros because of a right knee injury and has not played competitively since May. The Winston-Salem Open will be the first tournament where he competes since returning from his injury.
“The addition of Gael Monfils makes an already-strong field of top-ranked world competitors even stronger, and we’re thrilled that he will be coming to Winston-Salem,” Oakes said. “He is widely known for being a lively and entertaining player to watch on the courts, much like his best friend Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who is also will be competing in the Winston-Salem Open.”
Tickets to the Winston-Salem Open are available online at winstonsalemopen.com, by calling (336) 758-6409 or in person at the Wake Forest ticket office located at Bridger Field House at BB&T Field.
About the Winston-Salem Open
The Winston-Salem Open, an ATP World Tour 250 event with a total purse of $625,000, will take place from August 18-25, 2012, with qualifying set for August 18. The tournament will be the final men’s event of the Emirates Airline US Open Series. For more information on the 2012 Winston-Salem Open, please go to winstonsalemopen.com.
About the Emirates Airline US Open Series
Now in its ninth season, the Emirates Airline US Open Series continues to serve as a true regular season of hard court tennis, linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. Fans follow the action throughout the summer during national broadcast coverage while players battle for $40 million, including a chance for bonus prize money at the US Open. The Series collectively reached a U.S. television audience of 39 million and drew more than 800,000 on-site fans in 2011. In 2012, Emirates Airline became the title sponsor of the Series, as well as the official airline of the US Open. The Emirates Airline US Open Series is also supported by sponsors American Express, Chase, Citizen Watch Company, Esurance, Evian and Gatorade.
Americans Mardy Fish and Serena Williams swept the 2011 Emirates Airline US Open Series men’s and women’s titles. In 2007, Roger Federer collected the biggest paycheck in tennis history – $2.4 million — for winning the US Open and the Emirates Airline US Open Series. In 2005, Kim Clijsters also captured both the US Open and the Series, winning $2.2 million — the largest purse in women’s sports history – and equaled that amount in 2010, winning the US Open and finishing the Emirates Airline US Open Series in second place.