STARNBERG, May 13, 2019

The Internazionali BNL d’Italia is the third and final clay-court ATP Masters 1000 event of the year. Rafael Nadal is an eight-time champion in Rome, and he claimed the title last year for the first time since 2013 with victory over 2017 champion Alexander Zverev.

No. 2 seed Nadal will open his title bid against a Frenchman, either Richard Gasquet or Jeremy Chardy. Fourth favourite Zverev will start against in-form Italian Matteo Berrettini, who captured his second ATP Tour title at the Hungarian Open in Budapest and finished runner-up at the BMW Open by FWU in Munich.

Nadal and Zverev are set to return in 2019, and they will be joined in the field by four-time titlist Novak Djokovic, four-time finalist Roger Federer and Barcelona champion Dominic Thiem. After a first-round bye, World No. 1 and reigning Mutua Madrid Open champion Djokovic awaits the winner of the encounter between Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain and Canadian young gun Denis Shapovalov. No. 3 seed Federer will play either Frances Tiafoe from the United States or Joao Sousa of Portugal. No. 5 seeded Thiem will take on the winner of Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco and Kyle Edmund of Great Britain.