The 2017 Mercedes Cup is the ATP Tour stop in Stuttgart. Whereas the WTA visits Stuttgart in April on indoor clay, this is an outdoor grass tournament, a relatively new part of the ATP Tour rotation under a new calendar created by the addition of a third week between the French Open and Wimbledon in 2015.
The highlight of this event should be the return of Roger Federer. He’s taking a long break but is finally back. As you might recall, he basically skipped the entire clay court season – including the French Open – and is now setting his sights on Wimbledon. It’s been a while since we’ve seen him, but he will be the favorite here.
The competition in the 28-player main draw begins on Monday, June 12.
Event Details
Event: Mercedes Cup
Category: ATP 250 Series
Date: June 12-18, 2017
Location: Tennis Club Weissenhof – Stuttgart, Germany
This tournament was first held in Stuttgart in 1916 and was played on clay until 2014. Also, with the move to grass courts, the event is now staged in the week after the conclusion of the French Open. The 2015 and 2016 champions, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem, won’t be around this year, but the star power of Roger Federer is enough to attract large crowds.
With a prize money allotment of just over 606,000 Euros, this is a tournament which has one of the bigger purses for an ATP 250 event. The young nature of the event, combined with big-name stars, gets more attendance and more revenue, justifying the larger purse.
Points
Champion – 250
Runner-up – 150
Semifinal – 90
Quarterfinal – 45
Former Champions and Results
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2016: Dominic Thiem def. Philip Kohlschreiber 6-7, 6-4, 6-4
2015: Rafael Nadal def. Viktor Troicki 7-6(3), 6-3
Player Info:
It’s only been two months but it already seems like an eternity since Roger Federer played an ATP event. Federer skipped the entire clay-court swing in order to rest his older body and prepare for a big battle at Wimbledon. Before he heads to SW19 to attempt to capture his record eighth Wimbledon title, he’ll be playing two warm-up events in Stuttgart and Halle. Last year, Federer’s march to the finals was halted by Dominic Thiem, who overcame the Swiss in three close sets in the semifinals.
Earlier this year in Janaury, Federer stunned the world by triumphing in his comeback event in Melbourne. The successful comeback on his favorite surface might not surprise many, but the fact is he’ll have to repeat that act again. Can he?
For Grigor Dimitrov, clay season didn’t go according to plan. It ended the way it began– with a loss. Dimitrov lost to Pablo Carreno Busta in the French Open third round in straight sets. For all the talent he has, he just doesn’t seem to break through. His game is not a problem; his mind is a mess. Can Dimitrov find his mojo on the surface he loves?
Tomas Berdych isn’t the player he once was. Berdych’s absence from the latter stages of Slams is the proof of his receding power. He was dumped out in the second round of Roland Garros by next generation star Karen Khachanov in straight sets. It’s his earliest exit from a clay court major since 2013, when he had lost to Gael Monfils in the opening round. The frustration led to the sacking of his star coach Goran Ivanisevic, whom he spent 10 months with.
Berdych will come to Stuttgart feeling pretty low, but he likes grass and is capable of producing some great tennis on this surface.
Tommy Haas is preparing at the Mercedes Cup for his first match on Tuesday, June 13. Haas will grace the Centre court in front of his home crowd for one final time. A bad result won’t matter much, but he’d like to end on a high. It’s going to be an emotional week for the former world No. 2 player. Haas wants to try to enjoy the match and the atmosphere.
Tennis Club Weissenhof
The modest facility owns a center stadium court with a capacity of 6,500. The quality of the grass surface seems robust – it doesn’t get chewed up as much as the surface in Halle, the ATP event which occurs a week later in Germany.
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