STUTTGART, November 20, 2015
Roger Federer is going to play at the 38th edition of the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, taking place from 4th to 6th June 2016. In the course of the ATP World Tour Finals in London, the 34-year-old Swiss announced his participation in the € 675,645 ATP 250 grass court event. The organizers of the tournament reached an agreement with Federer not only for next year, but also for 2017.
“I watched the first edition (last June) on television, it had a great atmosphere. I’ve always wanted to play Stuttgart, but it was always the wrong time after Wimbledon. Now that they’ve moved dates and surface, the chance to play the MercedesCup is very exciting – I can’t wait,” said Federer.
In 2015, Rafael Nadal claimed Stuttgart’s first grass court title
The seven-time Wimbledon Champion is a huge fan of the new, extended three-week grass run-up to the Grand Slam: “It’s great to have an extra week. It doesn’t sound like much, but for us players it’s a lot. I love playing on grass. To play another tournament on grass is great for me. I can manage my energy and schedule. It’s all about winning titles,” the former world number one added
MercedesCup representatives are excited to have one of the best to ever play the game starting his grass-court season at the TC Weissenhof on perfect courts laid with the help of expert Wimbledon groundsmen.
“With the appearance of Roger Federer in the next two years, we will expand into new dimensions with the MercedesCup. He coins the tennis sport like no other player on the international circuit. He has the highest approval ratings and is a huge attraction for fans around the world thanks to his superlative tennis. We are pleased that we can mark the 100th anniversary of Weissenhof tournament with tennis and sports idol Roger Federer playing the MercedesCup in Stuttgart 2016,” says tournament director Edwin Weindorfer.
Federer said that a two-year appearance agreement is exactly what he was seeking. “I like to look ahead and plan in advance. That also gives tournaments something they can look forward to. I know my schedule, this is a week which won’t change. I’d like to play more on the grass, I might as well make the most of it. I’m looking forward to it – no doubt about that.”
Dr. Jens Thiemer, VP Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars, said: “The participation of Mercedes-Benz ambassador Roger Federer at the MercedesCup in 2016 is a very big win for the Weissenhof – especially in the 100th anniversary of its existence. This again shows the enormous appeal of the Stuttgart tournament’s switch to grass last year. The MercedesCup serves players as a first-class preparation for Wimbledon.”
Roger Federer captured his seventh Wimbledon crown in 2012 (photo: Paul Zimmer/Mercedes Cup)
Federer has broken one record after another in the course of his impressive career: “King Roger” has won 17 Grand Slam titles on all surfaces (7 Wimbledon, 5 US Open, 4 Australian Open, 1 French Open) and lead the World No. 1 Ranking 302 weeks. The 88-times ATP tournament winner has won the “Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award” as voted by his professional peers 11 times. This year, he also won the Fan Favourite Award for the 13th time in a row as voted by fans on ATPWorldTour.com. Since 2003, Federer won 31 ATP World Tour Awards – also a record! In 2008 he won Olympic gold in Beijing at the side of his compatriot Stan Wawrinka and in 2012 he won silver in London in singles.
Tickets for the Mercedes Cup can be bought online: Mercedes Cup Ticket Shop
