The 2017 Memphis Open is the 42nd edition of this familiar hard court event. It’s not as big as Rotterdam in The Netherlands – that’s the ATP 500 event during the week – but it’s well-supported by home fans in the state of Tennessee. We’re not going to see too many big names here. The big boys like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have all elected not to participate in this event. Maybe they’re planning to spend Valentine’s Day with their ladies instead. However, as mentioned, with Rotterdam going on at the same time, we won’t even see players like David Goffin, Grigor Dimitro and Dominic Thiem as they’ve all elected to visit the Netherlands instead of taking part in the event in Memphis. Nonetheless, players like Ivo Karlovic and American Sam Querrey will do their best to make this interesting. Querrey, in particular, should get lots of love playing this match in front of the home crowd.
The competition in the 28-player main draw begins on Monday, February 13.
Event Details
Event: Memphis Open
Category: ATP 250 Series
Date: February 13-19, 2017
Location: Racquet Club of Memphis – Memphis, Tennessee, USA
The 2017 Memphis Open is a good target for mid-tier players who need to play their way into shape before Indian Wells. That will be the next important tournament on the schedule as the second grand slam of the year isn’t on tap for a little while.
With a prize money allotment of just over $640,000, this is a tournament with a good purse for an ATP 250-level event. Pros respect when a smaller tournament can offer a good return on an investment of a plane flight and an attempt to win a number of matches. What adds to the attractiveness for the top four seeds is that with a bye, they’re guaranteed a second-round (round of 16, in this case) paycheck, so it’s worth their while.
Points
Champion – 250
Runner-up – 150
Semifinal – 90
Quarterfinal – 45
Former Champions and Results
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2016 Kei Nishikori def. Taylor Fritz, 6-4, 6-4
2015: Kei Nishikori def. Kevin Anderson, 6-4, 6-4
2014: Kei Nishikori def. Ivo Karlovic, 6-4, 7-6(7-0)
2013: Kei Nishikori def. Feliciano Lopez, 6-2, 6-3
2012: Jurgen Melzer def. Milos Raonic, 7-5, 7-6(7-4)
Player Info:
Without a double fault on match point against Victor Estrella-Burgos in Quito, Ivo Karlovic would’ve delayed his arrival to Memphis. As a top seed, he failed to deliver in Ecuador, but he comes to Memphis with a chance to play on a court he knows well. He is a former finalist (2014) and loves the fast conditions, which suit his style of play. The giant Croat is the top seed again and will have a good chance against most Americans in the field, who play a similar kind of tennis, none more so than John Isner, a former finalist (2010) who serves just as big as the tall Croatian. He has fallen behind in the race as the best American tennis player. Isner will desperately need a title run in Memphis if he desires to win back that distinction.
Sam Querrey, ranked 27th in the world, is the third-best American behind Jack Sock and Isner. He is steady but like his fellow Americans, hardly consistent. Querrey is a former champion in Memphis (several years ago) and enjoys plying his trade on fast hardcourts. He is the third seed.
When Bernard Tomic first burst onto the scene, many thought he would become the best in the world at some point in his career. Fast forward it to 2017, he is not even the best in Australia. Everything he does as a tennis professional is questionable–his work ethic, his attitude, his level of toughness. Add to that his father, who has harmed his career. Tomic had a great chance to go deep in Melbourne but couldn’t take advantage when his draw opened up after Marin Cilic was upset by Dan Evans. The Brit was on an upset spree and Tomic fell victim to him in the third round. The Australian is short on confidence but nevertheless remains a strong contender in Memphis.
Racquet Club of Memphis
Opened in 1974, this facility began hosting the Memphis tournament in 1976. The stadium court was built in 1984 and has 5,000 seats. There are 11 indoor courts for this tournament, and club members can also take advantage of 16 outdoor courts during the year.
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