STUTTGART, May 19, 2016

Juan Martin Del Potro was awarded the first of three wild cards into the main draw of the €675,645 Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart. The 27-year-old Argentine is well-known at the Tennis Club Weissenhof, as Del Potro captured the first of his 18 career titles at the ATP 250 event in 2008 on clay.

“Juan Martin Del Potro’s great career has started in Stuttgart. Consequently, he has a special relationship with the tournament. We would like to support him on his way back with this wild card,” tournament director Edwin Weindorfer told.

The 2009 US-Open champion had to cope with wrist injuries in the past and came back to the courts in February this year. Del Potro will return to Germany for the second time in 2016, following his appearance at the BMW Open in April. He will skip Roland Garros in order to prepare for the grass court season.

“With Del Potro, Marin Cilic and Roger Federer we are pleased to welcome three Grand Slam titlists. At the moment it’s still unclear, who will receive the other two wild cards,” Weindorfer added.

Del Potro will join Philipp Kohlschreiber, who recently claimed his third Munich title, as well as young guns Grigor Dimitrov and Taylor Fritz to open their Stuttgart campaign on Tuesday, 7 June. “Spectators can look forward to a fully packed schedule on Super-Tuesday with several high-class matches,” Weindorfer stated.

Germany’s number one is also looking forward to return to the Mercedes Cup. “I still remember the great week here last year. The venue in Stuttgart has exceeded all expectations. The quality of the grass courts was amazing. Moreover, I really like the pleasant crowd in Stuttgart. That’s why I am always happy to return. The field is very strong but that’s just more motivation for me to be as successful as possible,” said Kohlschreiber, who reached the stage of the final eight in 2015.