The Mercedes Cup, a grass tournament held in the German city of Stuttgart, has confirmed that several high profile stars will be in action at the tournament this summer.
The tournament will start on the week beginning June 6th, the week after the French Open, and three weeks before Wimbledon.
Federer headlines
By far the biggest star currently confirmed for the tournament is world number three Roger Federer.
Almost certainly the greatest grass court player of all time, winning multiple titles at Wimbledon as well as Halle, though has never played in Stuttgart before and his entrance will certainly bring in a lot of fans.
The former world number one is currently the only top ten player set to take part in Stuttgart, making him the early heavy favorite for the title.
Other strong grass court players in action
Several other strong grass court players are set to be in action in Stuttgart in June.
Marin Cilic, twice a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and a former champion at the Aegon Championships, was a semifinalist last year and could well be a threat for the title again. The Croatian is currently out with a knee injury.
Also in action will be Grigor Dimitrov. The Bulgarian has struggled recently but is a former semifinalist at Wimbledon and, like Cilic, is a former Aegon Championships winner, so could be a threat on the grass once again.
Another strong grass court player in action will be Feliciano Lopez. The Spaniard is a three-time quarterfinalist at Wimbledon, and has reached the final at the Aegon Championships and won the Aegon International twice. He’ll be looking to improve on his performance in Stuttgart last year, where he failed to win a match.
More stars in action
Some other big stars have been confirmed to be playing in Stuttgart this summer.
Frenchmen Gilles Simon and Benoit Paire are both set to be in Stuttgart this summer. Simon could well be a danger, after reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon last year, whilst Paire certainly has the talent to cause some trouble.
Two exciting young stars will also be in action, with Dominic Thiem and Taylor Fritz set to play. Thiem has impressed with some strong tournaments this season, whilst Fritz has risen inside the top 70 and will be looking to keep his progression going this season.