ATP: Federer, Zverev & Co: Four top ten players start in Halle/Westphalia

The first record has already been set before the first rally: The ATP event in Halle/Westphalia (16 to 24 June) will enter its 26th edition with four top ten players. World star and record champion Roger Federer (Switzerland) leads the top-class field of participants, with Alexander Zverev (Hamburg), Dominic Thiem (Austria) and John Isner (USA) among the top ten professionals in the world.

Roger Federer is once again the defending champion. But the Grand Slam record champion knows that the competition is big: “The field is getting better and stronger from year to year, which is why the road to winning the title is becoming more and more demanding,” said the 36-year-old.

National hopes rest primarily on Alexander Zverev, the world’s strongest player of the next tennis generation. The 21-year-old from Hamburg reached the final in Halle/Westphalia in the last two years, but then had to admit defeat to Florian Mayer (2016) and Federer (2017). “The competition is really strong this year. But of course I want to win the tournament,” announced Zverev, who has just successfully defended his title in Munich.

Like top favourite Federer, he must pay particular attention to Austria’s top ten ace Dominic Thiem (24) and “Big John” Isner (33), the 2.08-metre giant from the USA. Isner had defeated Zverev in early April for his first Masters career success in the Miami final.

But the list of challengers at the Gerry Weber Open is long: The top 20 players Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain), Lucas Pouille (France) and the former US Open finalist Kei Nishikori (Japan), who is just aiming for a comeback among the top ten after a long injury break, have also reported. Also a strong quartet of first-class young players – in Hyeon Chung (South Korea) and Andrey Rublev (Russia) will be the finalists of the “NextGen” finale in Milan.

Furthermore, Borna Coric (Croatia) and 19-year-old junior star Stefanos Tsitsipas will play at the grass court tournament. The Greek teenager had recently reached the final in Barcelona and the semi-final in Estoril. “We’ve always claimed that our fans can already see the’stars of tomorrow’,” said tournament director Weber, “the best example of this is Roger Federer.

At the home tournament, of course, the German top players also want to take part in the title fight again: In addition to Alexander Zverev, Philipp Kohlschreiber (Augsburg), Peter Gojowczyk (Munich), Mischa Zverev (Hamburg) and local hero Jan-Lennard Struff (Warstein), who receives the first of three Wild Cards, will compete.

Kohlschreiber, the 2011 Halle Champion of the Year and finalist in 2008 (against Roger Federer), is taking part in the title race in East Westphalia for the 14th time in his career. “I want to attack again and play for victory,” emphasized the 34-year-old Kohlschreiber.

The “schauinsland-reisen Champions Trophy” will be played on 16 and 17 June before the tournament begins. The focus: The last guest performance of former Wimbledon winner Michael Stich at the event, which he was the first German to win in 1994. Stich will compete against the duo Julia Görges/Tommy Haas in the popular show fight alongside Laura Siegemund.

One day later, Henri Leconte/Mansour Bahrami and Nicolas Kiefer/Younes El Aynaoui double for men. Another Schaumatch on final Sunday (June 24) cult player Karsten “cat” Braasch and Ukrainian Andrei Medvedev.