Tournament officials for the San Diego Open ATP 250 have extended a singles main draw wild card to former Top 10 player Fernando Verdasco of Spain. The $612,000 men’s professional tennis tournament is scheduled for Sept. 17-25 at Barnes Tennis Center, 4490 W. Point Loma Blvd.
The 38-year-old Spaniard turned pro in 2001 and holds seven career ATP singles titles. He also captured eight doubles championships, including the ATP Finals in 2013. Verdasco, a native of Madrid, achieved a career-high No. 7 in the Pepperstone ATP singles rankings in 2009.
Verdasco reached the semifinals of the 2009 Australian Open, where he fell to fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (1), 6-4. Seven years later, Verdasco eliminated Nadal in the first round of the 2016 Australian Open, defeating his countryman 7-6 (6), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2.
The Spanish left-hander appeared in 67 consecutive Grand Slams until the US Open in 2020 and he helped Spain win the Davis Cup in 2008, 2009 and 2011.

“I’m very excited about this tournament. I’ve never been to San Diego and I’ve heard so many good things about the city and the event. I’m really looking forward to it,” Verdasco said.
“We are very happy to have Fernando accept our main draw wild card,” said tournament director Ryan Redondo. “He has been a great competitor on the court for many years and we eagerly look forward to seeing him in action at the San Diego Open.”
The 2022 San Diego Open ATP 250 tournament will feature a 28-player singles main draw and a 16-team doubles draw. The event offers a total of $612,000 in prize money and tournament champions will receive 250 ATP ranking points.
Main draw matches will begin at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 19. The tournament will conclude on Sunday, Sept. 25 with the singles and doubles championships. There will also be a 16-player qualifying singles draw with qualifying rounds beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17 and Sunday, Sept. 18. Four qualifiers will advance to the main draw.

Tickets for the 2022 San Diego Open ATP 250 are on sale at https://barnessdopen.com.
Barnes Tennis Center will also host the 2022 San Diego Open WTA 500 from Saturday, Oct. 8 through Sunday, Oct. 16. The tournament will feature the top players in women’s professional tennis.