STARNBERG, June 11, 2018

Adrian Mannarino, the top seed at an ATP World Tour event for the first time in his career, leads the field as he seeks his maiden tour-level title at the Libéma Open. After a first-round bye, the French veteran will face either Guillermo Garcia-López of Spain or compatriot Jeremy Chardy. But there are still more capable foes who will try to keep Mannarino from accomplishing that goal in s’Hertogenbosch.

Defending champion Gilles Muller and his opponent in the 2017 final, Ivo Karlovic, are back in The Netherlands. Their championship match last year was the oldest ATP World Tour final since Ken Rosewall beat Tom Gorman to claim the 1977 Hong Kong title. No. 2 seed Richard Gasquet, fourth seed Fernando Verdasco and #NextGenATP Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas are also strong contenders to lift the trophy.

Federer returns to the courts in Stuttgart

The MercedesCup, which made the switch from clay to grass from 2015, opens the extended grass-court swing alongside the ATP 250 event in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. The first edition of the tournament in Stuttgart was held in 1898, with Mercedes-Benz assuming the role of title sponsor in 1979. There’s always an added incentive for ATP World Tour players to win the tournament: the champion takes home a new Mercedes-Benz.

All eyes will be on Roger Federer in Stuttgart, as the Swiss plays his first tournament since Miami at the MercedesCup. The 36-year-old, who can regain the No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings on 18 June by reaching the final, seeks his first title at the event.