Next week, tennis comes to the capital of the United States as the Citi Open kicks off the second event for both the ATP and WTA. We will be previewing an initial look at the field of the women’s side later as we focus on the men.

Last year's finalist

Defending champion Milos Raonic has decided not to partake in the festivities in DC where he won his first career ATP 500 event. Last year’s finalist Vasek Pospisil will be in the field in what is going to be one of the most competitive fields in recent memory.

Star-studded field

The field is stacked with some serious star power led by former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and last year’s US Open finalist Kei Nishikori. Defending US Open champion Marin Cilic will be in the field as well as Grigor Dimitrov. Richard Gasquet, two-time Wimbledon semifinalist, will be in the field as well. A very deep field in Washington.

The Americans

The American contingency is going to be a strong one in DC. It is led by top American talent Jack Sock and USA’s number one John Isner. New American number two, Sam Querrey, will also be in the field. Former NCAA tennis star Steve Johnson will be at the Citi Open as well.

Former champions in the field

Only two former Citi Open champions will be making appearances this year. 2004 champion Lleyton Hewitt will be making his last appearance at the Citi Open this year with his retirement coming up at next year’s Australian Open. 2012 champion Alexandr Dolgopolov is also in the field as one of the dark horses of the tournament due to his up and down play throughout the year. He can get hot at any moment so there’s potential for him to end up as champion again.

Young guns looking to make a splash

With all the veteran presence in the field, there are a few young talents as well. Australian teen sensation Thanasi Kokkinakis, Korean Hyeon Chung, and German Alex Zverev lead the charge for the young guns to potentially make a deep run in DC. Zverev famously made it to the semifinals of the ATP 500 event in Hamburg at the Bet-at-Home German Tennis Championships last year. He defeated some of the ATP’s top 100 en route to the semifinals where he lost to David Ferrer.

For the youngsters and lower ranked players, this is there chance to make a splash on the American hard court scene as two Masters events follow the Citi Open.