NEWPORT – As many as 14 of the Top 100 tennis players on the men’s pro tour will be in Newport in 12 days for the start of the 2009 Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships at the Newport Casino.

"This is one of our strongest fields in a long time," Mark Stenning, CEO of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, said Monday before leaving for a week of meetings at Wimbledon. He will return to finish preparations for his tournament, which runs from July 6-12.

American Mardy Fish, ranked No. 25, leads a field that also includes the two-time defending champion Fabrice Santoro of France, No. 37; the young American Sam Querrey, No. 47, and German Benjamin Becker, No. 49.

The Hall of Fame tourney, the only men’s professional tournament on grass in the United States, benefited from a change in the ATP World Tour and International Tennis Federation’s Davis Cup calendars and a waiver from the ATP.

Two years ago the ITF moved its summer Davis Cup ties up to the week after Wimbledon, which traditionally is the week of the Hall of Fame Championships, the Swedish Open in Bastad and the Swiss Open in Gstaad. The ATP agreed to keep that week free of tournaments and pushed the Newport and Bastad tournaments back to July 13 and the Gstaad event to July 26.

That schedule set off alarm bells in Newport. The Hall of Fame tournament is the last on grass after the Wimbledon tuneups and Wimbledon itself. The hardcourt season in the U.S. and the clay circuit in Europe follow Newport.

"The only time we can play is the week after Wimbledon. We felt that once the guys were off grass, they wouldn’t go back," Stenning said. So he appealed and the tennis hierarchy saw his point.

Now, the Hall of Fame tournament is the only pro event allowed during Davis Cup week until the schedule changes again in a couple of years.

"So if an ATP player is not playing Davis Cup and wants to work anywhere in the world the week after Wimbledon, it will have to be Newport," Stenning said.

As a result, several players will visit Newport for the first time. Arnaud Clement of France is one. He is ranked No. 53.

Fish, the No. 1 seed last year, will return as No. 1 and try to break the Curse of the Casino. No top seed has won this event since it joined the pro tour as a full-fledged tournament in 1977.

Santoro, a fan favorite around the world because of his smart and stylish play and demeanor, is 36, the oldest player in the Top 100. He has won 18 of the 19 sets he has played in Newport since he first set foot on the Casino grass in 2007.

"He spends as much time in the museum as he does on the court," Stenning said. Santoro is a collector of tennis history and artifacts and aspires to open his own museum in France.

Querrey, a 6-foot-6 right hander, was runner-up in Aukland, New Zealand in January and a quarterfinalist at Indian Wells in California in February. He lost to James Blake in the third round of the Queen’s Club tournament in grass two weeks ago.

Becker, no relation to the Hall of Famer Boris Becker, won his first ATP title a week ago at the Wimbledon tuneup at The Netherlands.

Newport fans will recognize Robby Ginepri, the 2003 Hall of Fame champion now ranked No. 107, and Taylor Dent, once a promising young American still trying to regain that form after a series of injuries. He lost to Roger Federer in the fourth round at Key Biscayne this year and qualified for Wimbledon. He received a wild card.

Prakash Amritraj of Encino, Calif., and India, also received a wild card. Ranked No. 154 this year, he has played mostly on the Challenger circuit. He had a great run in Newport last year, losing to Santoro in the final. His father Vijay is a former Hall of Fame champion.

American Vince Spadea, ranked No. 113, is returning for another visit. He will turn 35 on July 19. He lost to Greg Rusedski in the 2005 Hall of Fame final.

The 32 pros coming to town will play for $500,000 in prize money, up from $380,000 last year because it is the only tournament on the calendar.

Other highlights of Newport Tennis Week will be the induction of Monica Seles, Andres Jimeno, Donald Dell and Dr. Robert Johnson into the Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday, July 11, and a tribute to Hall of Famer Rod Laver on the 40th anniversary of his second Grand Slam. He also won the French, Wimbledon, U.S. and Australian titles in 1962 and is the only player in tennis history to achieve two Grand Slams.

For ticket information visit tennisfame.com.

mszostak@projo.com