STUTTGART, May 11, 2017
The organizers of the MercedesCup announced Thursday at the restaurant AMICI in Stuttgart the line-up for the ATP 250 event held from held from 10 to 18 June 2017. The tournament is part of the grass court swing leading into Wimbledon.
After winning the Australian Open as well as completing the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami, Roger Federer will be the tournament’s top favourite.
“I will focus on the grass court tournaments this season. Consequently, the MercedesCup will be given high priority,” Federer told.
The Swiss maestro will be joined by Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, who captured two ATP World Tour titles in Brisbane and Sofia earlier this year, as well as Tomas Berdych. The 31-year-old Czech advanced to two semi-finals this season, in Doha and Rotterdam.
Philipp Kohlschreiber will lead a strong group of German players with Tommy Haas continuing his farewell tour. The 39-year-old was granted a wild card into the main draw. Mischa Zverev, Jan-Lennard Struff and Florian Mayer will also appear at the venue of the TC Weissenhof.
#NextGenATP star Alexander Zverev, who lifted his maiden ATP World Tour trophy on home soil in Munich last week, will decide on his Stuttgart appearance on short notice. A wild card is waiting for him.
Michael Berrer will play in a doubles exhibition match alongside Kohlschreiber and Haas to celebrate his personal farewell party. The Stuttgart native and former World No. 42 retired from professional tennis in December last year by winning Germany’s National Championships in Biberach.
“It is a very nice feeling to end the career with a triumph. This was something very special for me. I am looking forward to play in front of my home crowd for a last time,” Berrer is pleased with the opportunity to compete on Center Court for another time. The match will take place on Sunday 11th June. The fourth player for the doubles will be announced soon.
Full Entry List (as of May 1):
1 Federer, Roger SUI 4
2 Berdych, Tomas CZE 12
3 Dimitrov, Grigor BUL 13
4 Johnson, Steve USA 25
5 Simon, Gilles FRA 30
6 Zverev, Mischa GER 32
7 Lopez, Feliciano ESP 37
8 Troicki, Viktor SRB 38
9 Kohlschreiber, Philipp GER 39
10 Tomic, Bernard AUS 40
11 Khachanov, Karen RUS 42
12 Struff, Jan-Lennard GER 48
13 Mayer, Florian GER 50
14 Paire, Benoit FRA 55
15 Vesely, Jiri CZE 59
16 Baghdatis, Marcos CYP 60
17 Basilashvili, Nikoloz GEO 61
18 Jaziri, Malek TUN 68
19 Chardy, Jeremy FRA 71