DELRAY BEACH, December 17, 2020 (Press Release)
The Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com will be a season-opening event on the ATP Tour following a date change moving the tournament to January 4-13.
“The City of Delray Beach along with our tournament staff worked very quickly to take advantage of this chance to play host to a season-opening event,” said Tournament Director Mark Baron. “The players are eager to get back to playing in tournaments and we are happy to provide that opportunity. We look forward to welcoming them as well as our fans to a healthy and safely produced event in a few short weeks.”
Originally scheduled for February, the 2021 Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com will feature the ATP Champions Tour legends event Jan. 4-6, which will run concurrently with the ATP 250 qualifying matches on Jan. 5-6. The main draw for the ATP 250 tournament, which will feature 28 players in singles and 16 teams in doubles, will begin Thursday, Jan. 7 with two sessions each day until the finals are contested during a single session on Wednesday, Jan. 13.
“These are unprecedented times and I would like to thank the tournament organizers for their willingness to adapt by moving into week one of the ATP Tour calendar at such short notice,” said ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi. “Providing playing opportunities for our players and ensuring our sport is delivered to fans worldwide in a safe and secure environment is our number one priority. It’s only with an entrepreneurial mindset that we can achieve our goals, and full credit goes to Mark Baron and his team for taking on this opportunity to launch the 2021 ATP Tour season. We wish them all the best for a successful week.”
All tickets for the “Physically Distanced, Forever Social” event at the historic downtown tennis center are on sale now at www.yellowtennisball.com or by phone at +1 561-330-6000. In order to accommodate spacious conditions in the stadium and throughout the venue, attendance for each session at the 2021 tournament will be capped at 2,000 people, just under 25 percent of the outdoor stadium’s total capacity.
Fans who act quickly can take advantage of a special Holiday Sale on tickets if purchasing before midnight on Dec. 31. Using the promo code CHAMPION, a discount of 30% will be applied to individual box and reserved seats for Sessions 1-4 (ATP Champions Tour matches). For discounted tickets to see the ATP 250 matches, fans can use the code JINGLE to get 10% off individual box seats for Sessions 5-14, while the code BELLS will provide a 20% discount on individual reserved seats for Sessions 5-14.
Session 17: Wednesday Jan. 13 – 12:30 pm ATP 250 Doubles Final; 3 pm ATP 250 Singles Final
Last year, Delray Beach resident Reilly Opelka served a tournament record 99 aces during the week in which he won his second career ATP Tour title. In doubles Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan captured their sixth Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com title and their 119th as a team. It was the final tournament for the twin brothers who announced their retirement in August. In the opening weekend’s ATP Champions Tour matches, Team Europe, led by Tommy Haas and David Ferrer, earned a 5-2 win over the James Blake-led Team World. This marked the third straight defeat for the home nation in ATP Champions Tour competition at Delray Beach.
The entry lists for ATP 250 singles and doubles as well as qualifying will be released the week of Dec. 21. The ATP Champions Tour lineup and schedule will be released later this week.
While these dates mark the earliest that the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com has been held, it will not be first time the tournament has seen action in January. On three occasions, 2005-07, the tournament began in January before concluding in February. The tournament was held in May from 1993 through 1999, in March from 2000-2003, in September 2004 and has been contested in February since 2005.
