The ATP World Tour Winston-Salem Open is an event many players "use as preparation for the U.S. Open" and Tournament Dir Bill Oakes "has been busy recruiting players, talking to prospective sponsors and preparing his staff for what’s to come," according to John Dell of the WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL. Three players who have committed are John Isner, Tommy Haas and Sam Querrey. Oakes "wouldn’t name names" of the other committed players. But he said that he is "confident the field will be deep" for the final event before the U.S. Open. Oakes said, "Right now, we have a lot of guys in the top 30, and we are feeling pretty good about the field and how it’s shaping up." Fans will "see some changes, starting with the stadium -- it will be a solid-bowl configuration, with more spacious seating." Oakes: "We’ve changed our vendor for our stadium, and we are actually using a temporary stadium from Switzerland. The seats are structured a little different, so there’s a little more leg room and that will make it more enjoyable for the spectators." There also will be "more seating around the practice courts." Oakes said that ticket sales are "a little behind where they were at this time last year but that he isn’t worried." Oakes: "We are a little different in that fans want to see particular players, so they wait to see the draw and then buy tickets. ... And we do very well with walk-up sales, so we aren’t concerned" (WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL, 7/9).
