Mardy Fish says US Open to be last tournament of career

NEW YORK — Former top-10 player Mardy Fish says the US Open will be the last tennis tournament of his career.

The 33-year-old American has played just one competitive match since August 2013 as he's dealt with anxiety issues. Fish will use a protected ranking to gain entry to the singles field for the year's last Grand Slam event, the US Tennis Association said Wednesday.

"I will finish my career at the US Open," Fish tweeted.

His agent, John Tobias, said in an email that Fish planned to enter tournaments in Atlanta, Washington and Cincinnati before that.

Fish, who reached a career-high ranking of No. 7 in 2011, had announced last month that he would play doubles with retired pal Andy Roddick in Atlanta along with making his singles comeback there.

Fish's health problems began in March 2012 when his heart started racing uncontrollably the night after he lost a match at Key Biscayne, Florida. A couple of months later, doctors induced extreme palpitations to try to pinpoint the problem. Fish then returned to action at Wimbledon that year.

At the 2012 US Open, Fish won a five-setter in the third round, setting up a match against 17-time major champion Roger Federer. But Fish withdrew before playing Federer.

He remained off the tour until March 2013, when he entered the tournament at Indian Wells, California. He played 10 matches that year, then missed more than 18 months before he returned at Indian Wells again in March.

"Obviously, it's no secret, I'd love to go back to the US Open, where sort of it all came crashing down for me in 2012, and sort of conquer that place," Fish said last month. "And by 'conquer,' I mean just get back out on the court there. I have a lot of demons from that place."

Play in Atlanta begins Monday. The US Open starts Aug. 31.

The USTA announced Wednesday the players who received direct entry into the field. The top 99 men and 101 women in the current rankings automatically got in. On the women's side, 29th-ranked Peng Shuai of China, a semifinalist last year, has withdrawn because of a back injury.

Serena Williams will be looking to complete the first Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988 after she won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year.

(Sources from Philstar.com and Philippinemavericks.com)