DELRAY BEACH, January 15, 2025 (Press Release)
The Delray Beach Open announced its initial entry list on Tuesday for the 33rd year of the ATP 250 tournament, and it’s stacked with seven former champions and finalists. Those players include two ranked in the world’s Top 15 and two US Open finalists.
They will battle for the title Feb. 7-16 at the Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis Center. The tournament is the first North American hard court event of the outdoor season, and one of just eight ATP Tour tournaments in the United States. Tickets are available at DelrayBeachOpen.com.
Two-time defending champion, top-ranked American and world No. 4 Taylor Fritz leads the player entry list followed closely by world No. 11 and last year’s finalist Tommy Paul. Joining them are 2022 winner Cameron Norrie, 2020 champion and 2022 finalist Reilly Opelka, and Kei Nishikori, who became the tournament’s youngest-ever winner in 2008 when he was 18. He returns for the first time in 11 years at age 35 and would be the event’s second-oldest champion if he hoists the trophy.
In addition, former finalists Miomir Kecmanovic (2023) and Yoshihito Nishioka (2020) will look to go one step further at this year’s event.
Fritz is aiming for a historic three-peat at the tournament. He would be the 34th man since the Open Era of professional tennis began in 1968 to win at least one specific tournament three years in a row, and the first American man born after 1990 to three-peat.
After reaching last year’s US Open final, Fritz joins Nishikori as US Open finalists in this year’s DBO field. Nishikori did it 10 years earlier in 2014, the same year he last played in Delray Beach. Both Fritz and Nishikori have reached career-high world rankings of No. 4.
The entry list features nine players age 25 or younger, four of whom have qualified for past ATP Next Gen Finals, the year-end event that highlights the best young players on tour (Brandon Nakashima, Matteo Arnaldi, Alex Michelsen, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina). Nakashima won it in 2022.
The players are currently competing in the season’s first Grand Slam in Melbourne. In the Australian Open first round, Nishikori came back from two sets and two match points down to capture his first win there in six years after missing four of the last five editions of the event. He owns the best five-set winning percentage among current men’s players at 78.4 percent with a 29-8 record, and faces Paul next who also won his first round in five sets. Michelsen, one of five Americans entered in the DBO ranked in the Top 50, upset No. 12 Stefanos Tsitsipas. Opelka secured his first Grand Slam win since 2022.
In other first-round matches in Melbourne, Fritz won in straight sets, Nishioka and Marcos Giron won in four sets, Davidovich Fokina advanced with a retirement, and Kecmanovic, Gabriel Diallo and Aleksandar Vukic each won five-set matches to advance.
Here is the 2025 Delray Beach Open singles field by the numbers so far (19 players, nine still to be added):
- 4 former Delray Beach Open champions (Taylor Fritz, 2023-24; Cameron Norrie, 2022; Reilly Opelka, 2020; Kei Nishikori, 2008)
- 4 former Delray Beach Open finalists (Tommy Paul, 2024; Miomir Kecmanovic, 2023; Reilly Opelka, 2022; Yoshihito Nishioka, 2020)
- 4 players making their Delray Beach Open main draw debut (Arthur Rinderknech, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Yunchaekete Bu, Alexander Shevchenko)
- 4 players who won ATP Tour titles in 2024 (Tommy Paul – Dallas, London/Queen’s Club, Stockholm; Taylor Fritz – Delray Beach, Eastbourne; Marcos Giron – Newport, Yoshihito Nishioka – Atlanta)
- 5 Americans ranked in Top 50 (Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Marcos Giron, Brandon Nakashima, Alex Michelsen)
- 2 players ranked in Top 15 (Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul)
- 2 US Open finalists (Taylor Fritz-2024, Kei Nishikori-2014)
- 7 former college players (Marcos Giron-UCLA, Brandon Nakashima-Virginia, Cameron Norrie-Texas Christian, Arthur Rinderknech-Texas A&M, Rinky Hijikata-North Carolina, Aleksandar Vukic-Illinois, Gabriel Diallo-Kentucky)
- 1 NCAA singles champion (Marcos Giron – 2014, UCLA)
- 9 players age 25 and under (Youngest – Alex Michelsen, 20)
- 2 players age 30 and over (Oldest – Kei Nishikori, 35)
- 12 countries represented (USA, Australia, Japan, China, Great Britain, France, Italy, Serbia, Spain, Canada, Croatia, Kazakhstan)
Mini bios:
(Rank), Name, Age, Country
(4) Taylor Fritz, 27, USA – 2025: Won United Cup with US team; 2024: reached career-high No. 4, won Delray and Eastbourne, reached finals of US Open and ATP Finals, QF at Australian Open and Wimbledon, Olympic doubles bronze; 2023: Won Delray, Atlanta, QF US Open
(11) Tommy Paul, 27, USA – 2025: SF in Adelaide, career-high No. 11; 2024: Won three titles, finalist at Delray, QF at Wimbledon, Olympic doubles bronze; 2023: SF at Australian Open
(35) Brandon Nakashima, 23, USA – 2024: 4r US Open, other wins over Top 15 players Fritz, Paul, Tiafoe, Rublev, Rune; 2022: Won San Diego and ATP Next Gen Finals; 2021: Finals of Los Cabos and Atlanta, SF ATP Next Gen Finals
(39) Matteo Arnaldi, 23, Italy – 2024 – defeated two Top 10 players (Fritz, Rublev), reached French Open 4r; 2023: Nominated for ATP Most Improved Player, helped Italy win first Davis Cup in 47 years, reached US Open 4r
(42) Alex Michelsen, 20, USA – 2024: finalist at Newport; d. No. 9 de Minaur in Los Cabos; youngest American to finish year in Top 50 since Roddick in 2002; 2023: finalist at Newport as an amateur, his second Tour event
(46) Marcos Giron, 31, USA – 2024: Won first ATP title at Newport; 2023: d. No. 8 Ruud, No. 17 Auger-Aliassime enroute to Tokyo SF; 2022: 1st final age 29 in San Diego, cracked Top 50; 2014 NCAA singles champ at UCLA
(51) Miromir Kecmanovic, 25, Serbia – 2025: Adelaide SF; 2024: d. Paul to reach Australian Open 4r, d. No. 7 Ruud in Rome; 2023: Delray finalist, Estoril finalist; 2022: QF at Indian Wells, Miami, 4r Wimbledon
(52) Cameron Norrie, 29, Great Britain – 2024: F at Metz, Australian Open 4r; 2023: wins over No. 2 Nadal and No. 2 Alcaraz; 2022: Won Delray, reached Wimbledon SF, cracked Top 10
(61) Arthur Rinderknech, 29, France – 2024: d. Tiafoe to reach Lyon QF, won a Challenger title; 2022: finalist at Adelaide-2; models game on Juan Martin del Potro; played 4 years at Texas A&M, 5-time All-American
(65) Yoshihito Nishioka, 29, Japan – 2024: Won Atlanta for third career title; 2023: 4r Australian and French Opens, career-high No. 24; 2020: DBO finalist; six career finals, winning three
(66) Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, 25, Spain – 2023: d. No. 16 Zverev, No. 5 Ruud to reach Toronto SF; 2022: d. No. 1 Djokovic en route to Monte Carlo F; 2021: French Open and Monte Carlo QF
(67) Yunchaokete Bu, 22, China – First ATP match at 2023 Shanghai; has 3 Challenger titles; ranked No. 5 in juniors, then focused on school for two years and did not play tennis; earned first pro ranking point in 2022
(68) Aleksandar Vukic, 28, Australia – 2024: Eastbourne SF as LL; 2023: finalist at Atlanta; All-American at Illinois
(72) Rinky Hijikata, 23, Australia – 2025: Adelaide QF as qualifier; 2024: five QF including Delray; 2023: US Open 4r, won Australian Open doubles title
(76) Kei Nishikori, 35, Japan – 2025: F at Hong Kong; 2024: Montreal, Tokyo QF; 2014: US Open finalist; 2008: youngest Delray winner as 18-year-old qualifier; 12 career titles, career-high ranking of No. 4
(77) Alexander Shevchenko, 24, Kazakhstan – 2025: d. No. 11 Tsitsipas at United Cup; 2024: 3 QF, d. No. 7 Rune in Rotterdam; 2023: d. No. 9 Fritz for first Top 10 win and first ATP QF in Basel, finalist in Metz
(86) Gabriel Diallo, 23, Canada – 2024: played first GS at French and US Opens; 2023: d. No. 18 Musetti in Davis Cup, d. No. 21 Evans at home tournament in Toronto
(87) Borna Coric, 28, Croatia – 2024: Montpellier finalist; 2022: d. No. 3 Nadal enroute to ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati title; 2020: US Open QF; 2018: d. Federer to win Halle, helped Croatia win Davis Cup, reached career-high No. 12; 2017: won Marrakech
(170-WC) Reilly Opelka, 27, USA – 2025: d. Djokovic in Brisbane QF enroute to final; 2022: Delray runner-up; 2020: Delray champion; four career titles, off ATP Tour most of 2022-2024 with wrist and hip injuries
Nine additional players will join the field to round out the 28-player draw, including four qualifiers, two additional wild cards and three special entry players.
Former Delray Beach Open and Grand Slam champion Juan Martin del Potro is returning to the DBO for the first time in six years to play in the tournament’s Legends event on Opening Weekend, Feb. 7-9. Alongside other Legends he’ll face off against Bob and Mike Bryan, the best doubles team of all time who won 16 Grand Slam titles and six DBO trophies. French Open champs Luke and Murphy Jensen, and Delray singles champions Sam Querrey, Jack Sock, Tommy Haas and Xavier Malisse will round out a stellar Legends Opening Weekend that also features the qualifying rounds for the ATP event.
The Delray Beach stop on the global ATP Tour annually plays in front of over 50,000 fans and reaches television audiences in more than 100 countries.
