Haas Readies For Final Stuttgart Experience
Haas Readies For Final Stuttgart Experience
German looking for success on the grass
Tommy Haas is ready for one last run in Stuttgart. The 39-year-old German, who has said he will retire after this season, is making his seventh and final appearance at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart this week.
Haas, who reached the final in 1999 when the tournament was played on clay, will be making his second appearance at the grass-court edition of the event. He fell in the second round in 2015, the first year the tournament had transitioned to grass.
“I am very excited that my body is co-operating and I have the chance to play here one more time in Stuttgart,” Haas said on Monday.
The right-hander is 4-8 so far this season but he has thrived on grass courts. Two of his 15 ATP World Tour titles have come on the surface – the 2009 and 2013 Gerry Weber Open crowns in Halle.
“I’m also looking forward to Halle next week,” Haas said. “There are a lot of positive emotions after lots of gruelling hours to get ready again.”
Watch Live On TennisTV
Watch Full Match Replays
Haas and top seed Roger Federer visited the Stuttgart city centre on Monday morning, hitting some balls at the Schlossplatz, the largest square. It is also the home to the Neues Schloss, built between 1746 and 1807.
Federer is making his second appearance at the MercedesCup after falling in the semi-finals last year to Austrian Dominic Thiem.
“It was a great experience last year, a lovely tournament with great people,” said Federer. “So I am happy to begin the grass swing here again, playing with Tommy and doing activities in the city together. I can’t wait to play my first match on Wednesday possibly against Tommy. I’m happy to be back in tournament mode again after a 10-week spell of not playing tournaments.”
Federer, a winner of 15 grass-court titles, could meet Haas or Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the MercedesCup second round. The 35-year-old Swiss right-hander is competing at an ATP World Tour tournament for the first time since capturing the 93rd title of his career at the Miami Open presented by Itau (d. Nadal) on 2 April.
