Mercedes Cup explains plan to bring Roger Federer back in 2019!
Five months are left to the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart that takes place from 10 to 16 June 2019. The tournament has been working hard on getting the best possible field for already a while, and Denis Shapovalov and Gael Monfils are the first players confirmed for this year's event. The defending champion Roger Federer may comeback there. The Swiss always played in the last three years, losing to Dominic Thiem in the 2016 semifinals, to Tommy Haas in the 2017 opening round before triumphing in 2018 defeating Milos Raonic in a straight-set final. Everything depends on Federer's choice to play the clay-court season or not: if he doesn't play on that surface, the organizers will be ready to sign a new contract with him to play in 2019. Federer said that he will take a decision about the clay-season only after Indian Wells and Miami tournaments in March, but the Mercedes Cup Tournament Director Edwin Weindorfer hopes that a final decision about Stuttgart comes after the Australian Open. 'I think the chances are 50-50 at this stage. He played the last three years and we are now waiting to figure what his schedule looks like this summer', Weindorfer told Tennis World USA in an exclusive interview.
In 2018 Federer was not initially committed to Stuttgart, then he signed in when the entry list was announced in early May, six weeks before the tournament started. 'The last year we met in Miami. He and his team - Severin Luthi, Ivan Ljubicic - made a plan that they would not play on clay in 2018. And so it was clear that he wanted to play on Stuttgart. On top of that, Mercedez Benz is the title sponsor of our tournament and it's also Roger's personal sponsor, so this also helps', recognized Weindorfer.
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from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2FwU9P5
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