According to a media release by Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com, Andy Murray, a 46-time winner on the ATP Tour who has been ranked No. 1 in the world, has been awarded a wild card for the season-opening Delray Beach Open that will take place January 4-13. 

The three-time Major champion joins four former tournament winners – Reilly Opelka (2020), Frances Tiafoe (2018), Sam Querrey (2017), and Kei Nishikori (2008) – in the field. 

Murray will make his Delray Beach Open debut during Session 8, which will take place Friday night, Jan. 8. Additional headline matches have also been announced, including Opelka beginning his title defense on Thursday night, Jan. 7. The top-ranked American, John Isner, will headline the Saturday night session on Jan. 9, while Milos Raonic, who is projected to be the top seed, will play on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 10. 

“I am looking forward to starting the 2021 season in Delray Beach,” Murray said. “This event will be a good test for me and I’m excited to be back playing on the tour”

Murray will be the 11th of the 26 players to have ever held the ATP’s No. 1 ranking to play the Delray Beach Open, joining Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Jim Courier, Lleyton Hewitt, Ivan Lendl, Carlos Moya, Pat Rafter, Marcelo Rios, Andy Roddick, and Mats Wilander.

“We are looking forward to Andy joining us for our season-opening tournament,” said Tournament Director Mark Baron. “He is a champion at every level and among the greatest fighters our sport has ever seen. It will be thrilling to see him play here.”

Murray has won his 46 ATP titles from 68 finals during his career. Those tournament wins include being a two-time champion at both Wimbledon (2013, 2016) and the Olympics (2012, 2016). He was also the winner at the 2012 US Open and in 2016 at the ATP Finals, which was his ninth title of that season. 

During his career, Murray has spent 41 weeks ranked as the World No. 1. At the end of January 2019, he underwent a hip resurfacing surgery. In June of that year, he returned to the Tour and immediately won the doubles title at Queen’s Club in London. He returned to singles action in August, and in October, won the title at Antwerp. 

The 33-year-old and his wife, Kim, have two daughters and one son. Last year, he was knighted by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.

His brother Jamie, who is one year older, has been ranked No. 1 in doubles and won the 2008 Delray Beach title.

Originally scheduled for February, the 2021 Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com will feature ATP Champions Tour matches running concurrently with 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. 

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 (excluding Session 8), while the code BELLS will provide a 20% discount on individual reserved seats for Sessions 5-14 (excluding Session 8).

Last year, Delray Beach resident Opelka served a tournament record 99 aces during the week in which he won his second career ATP Tour title while Bob and Mike Bryan repeated as doubles champions. In the opening weekend’s ATP Champions Tour matches, Team Europe, led by Haas and David Ferrer, earned a 5-2 win over the James Blake-led Team World. 

In an ever-changing world, the tournament will maintain the highest level of health and safety standards for fans, players, and staff alike.