Mardy Fish
Mardy Fish has decided to return to the Atlanta Tennis Championships for the second year.
Why wouldn't he?
He won it all last year, becoming the first ATC singles champion. This year he cracked the Top 10 for the first time. He's also made a huge impact on the tour in 2011, appearing in semifinals in Miami (an ATP World Tour 1000 event), Delray Beach and Memphis
Fish won his fifth career ATP World Tour title at the Atlanta Tennis Championships. He overcame a one-set deficit (the only set he lost in the tournament) to defeat the hometown Georgia Bulldog, John Isner, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(4). The win marked Fish's tenth consecutive match victory on the ATP World Tour.
Fish won back-to-back ATP World Tour titles after winning in Newport two weeks before. For the first time in his career Fish has won two ATP World Tour tournaments in the same year.
"This is as top as I’ve ever been," said Fish. "I’ve never won two tournaments in one year, I’ve never won two tournaments in a row, and on the ATP [World] Tour, I’ve never won 10 matches in a row. It’s probably as good as it’s been. "
Fish also defeated top-seed Andy Roddick in the semifinals.
Top prize money for Fish $95,845. He also won 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points as the winner of the ATP World Tour 250 hard-court tournament. Isner earned $50,500 and 150 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points.
Along with his four singles titles, Fish has also won seven career doubles titles, winning three of them with other Atlanta Tennis Championship players (two with Blake and one with Isner). In March of 2004 Fish held his career best ranking, No. 17 and two years later he was named ATP Comeback Player of the Year after his return from a year hiatus due to injury.