The full entry list for the Gerry Weber Open, held in the German city of Halle, has been confirmed, with defending champion Roger Federer set to headline.
The tournament will be held on the week beginning June 13th, two weeks before Wimbledon starts
Federer joined by strong top 20 contingent
Whilst eight-time champion and three-time runner-up Federer will be the favorite, several other top 20 stars will be in action and will certainly make the tournament competitive.
Three top ten stars are among those in action. One of those will be Kei Nishikori, who’ll look to improve on a semifinal showing last year, whilst 2007 champion Tomas Berdych will also be looking to have a strong showing. Furthermore, the struggling David Ferrer will be looking to pick up his form ahead of what is his weakest major.
Meanwhile, top 20 players Gael Monfils, Dominic Thiem and David Goffin will all be in action. All three have been in good form this year and are capable of performing well on grass, so it will be interesting to see how they fair.
Other stars returning
Alongside the likes of Federer, Nishikori, Berdych and Thiem who all played last year, several other stars are returning to Halle, and could well be dangerous to face at the tournament.
Andreas Seppi, runner-up last year, should be dangerous once again, as should the big-serving Ivo Karlovic, a semifinalist last year. 2011 champion Philipp Kohlschreiber will also be in action, as will 2007 runner-up Marcos Baghdatis.
German stars Florian Mayer (who uses his protected ranking to enter) and Alexander Zverev will also be in action once again, whilst young star Borna Coric is another player returning.
Ricardas Berankis completes the list of those returning after entering last year.
More players in action
Another player in action will be rising star Lucas Pouille, who will certainly raise a lot of interest following his strong performances this year. Also, the dangerous Viktor Troicki is another player to look out for.
Spaniards Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Marcel Granollers will take part, as will Russia's Teymuraz Gabashvili and Andrey Kuznetsov.
Joao Sousa and Paolo Lorenzi will also be in action, whilst Americans Steve Johnson and Brian Baker, who uses his protected ranking to enter the draw, are also in action.