Revealed: Who's playing at this year's Delray Beach Open

The Delray Beach Open just announced its initial entry list 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. 

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.

Above: Taylor Fritz. Photo credit: Delray Beach Open.

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.

Above: Tommy Paul. Photo credit: Delray Beach Open.

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.

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. Tickets are available at DelrayBeachOpen.com.

Delray Beach Open: Entry List

Rank, Name, Country

4. Taylor Fritz, USA

11. Tommy Paul, USA

35. Brandon Nakashima, USA

39. Matteo Arnaldi, Italy

42. Alex Michelsen, USA

46. Marcos Giron, USA

51. Miomir Kecmanovic, Serbia

52. Cameron Norrie, Great Britain

61. Arthur Rinderknech, France

65. Yoshihito Nishioka, Japan

66. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Spain

67. Yunchaokete Bu, China

68. Aleksandar Vukic, Australia

72. Rinky Hijikata, Australia

76. Kei Nishikori, Japan

77. Alexander Shevchenko, Kazakhstan

86. Gabriel Diallo, Canada

87. Borna Coric, Croatia

170. (Wild Card) Reilly Opelka, USA

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.

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Source: Delray Beach Open