HOUSTON – Mardy Fish has been announced as the first singles player to commit to the 2011 US Men’s Clay Court Championship at River Oaks Country Club.

Fish, who is ending 2010 ranked a career-high No. 16 in the ATP World Tour Rankings, will headline the singles draw, while the No. 1 team in the world, Bob and Mike Bryan, headline the doubles draw.

"We’re excited to welcome Mardy Fish back to Houston and River Oaks," said Tournament Director Van Barry. "Each year we have a great international field with players from all over the world, but we’re excited to have our earliest commitments to be from some of the top American players, like Mardy and the Bryan Brothers."

Fish shed 30 pounds before the start of the 2010 season, and it paid off, as he enjoyed the best year of his career. Fish won a career-high number of matches in posting a 40-14 record in 2010. He reached four ATP World Tour finals during the year, claiming titles in Atlanta and Newport, while finishing as the runner-up at Cincinnati and Queen’s Club.

During the summer, Fish went 25-5, which included all four of those final results, as well as a run to the fourth round of the US Open.

Fish is no stranger to Houston, having won the US Men’s Clay Court Championship singles title in 2006, while posting a 9-7 record all-time in the event.

In doubles action, Fish is a two-time winner in Houston, teaming with Andy Roddick to claim the title in 2002 and with James Blake to win in 2004.

Speaking of doubles, the Bryans will be looking to win their fourth US Men’s Clay Court Championship title when they return in April. The twins from California finished 2010 as the No. 1 team in the World, having won 11 titles for the year, giving them 67 titles together, surpassing the previous record of 61 held by 2010 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.

On Wednesday, Dec. 1, individual-session tickets and the very popular "Champ Pass" for the 2011 US Men’s Clay Court Championship will go on sale. The Champ Pass includes a ticket to the Friday, Saturday and Sunday sessions, which are usually sold out before the tournament begins. A limited number of season ticket packages for the 2011 event are still remaining. Information on tickets can be found at www.mensclaycourt.com or by calling 713-874-6294

US Men’s Clay Court Championship at River Oaks Country Club

The 102nd competition for the US Men’s Clay Court Championship will be held April 4-10, 2011, at River Oaks Country Club in Houston. Started by the USTA in 1910, it has been held at numerous venues around the country. The tournament has been held in Houston since 2001, and will be held at River Oaks Country Club for the third straight year. Prior to hosting the US Men’s Clay Court Championship, River Oaks Country Club hosted its own event, The River Oaks International. Started in 1931, the River Oaks International roster of former champions includes Jack Kramer, Tony Trabert, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewall, Ivan Lendl, Guillermo Vilas and James Blake. The 2011 US Men’s Clay Court Championship will be the 77th tournament at River Oaks, with the club hosting a tournament every year since 1946 after a four-year lapse due to the war. More information is available at www.mensclaycourt.com. The tournament can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mensclaycourt or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mensclaycourt.