The newly-crowned world number one Roger Federer takes on familiar foe Milos Raonic in the men's singles final of Mercedes Cup, the ATP 250 tournament in Stuttgart.
When is Federer's final in Stuttgart and how to watch it live
The final of the grass-court tournament will start at 1 pm local time, 4:30 pm IST and 12 pm BST.
There is no television coverage of the match in India.
- Live stream will be available on Tennis TV and ATP's official website.
- In the United States, Tennis Channel will provide live coverage.
What has Federer done in Stuttgart so far?
Top seed Federer overcame a stern test against dangerous Nick Kyrgios of Australia in the semi-final on Saturday. The Swiss great was beaten in the first-set tie-breaker by 23-year-old but recovered swiftly to force a decider.
Kyrgios, who has always found ways to trouble Federer, was not willing to budge the decider and forced another tie-breaker, which has become a permanent fixture whenever the two play against each other. The veteran held his nerves and closed the match 6-7(2), 6-2, 7-6(5).
Federer, who appeared rusty after returning from a long hiatus in the three-set win over Mischa Zverev last week, moved wonderfully well on court, matching the young Australian on Saturday.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion was serving well, winning 85% points on his first serve. He was able to foray into the forecourt at will to throw Kyrgios off the gear.
Is Federer the favourite in Sunday's final?
Certainly. The 36-year-old has a 10-3 head-to-head advantage over Raonic, including 3-1 win-loss record on the grass-court. In their last meeting (Wimbledon 2017 quarter-final), Federer outclassed the Canadian number two in straight sets.
Raonic claimed his only win when he defeated an ailing Federer en route to his maiden Wimbledon final appearance in 2016.
Stuttgart title would mean a lot to me: Federer
Federer was upbeat about his chances after a convincing win over Kyrgios in the semi-final. Notably, the eight-time Wimbledon champion has never won in Stuttgart.
"It would mean a lot to me to win Stuttgart, no doubt about it. I'm really excited to play Milos. He's in great shape again. It's nice for him, and I hope we can play another great match and I'm really excited to be in the final here," Federer said, as quoted by ATP's official website.
The 27-year-old though will be hoping to improve his record against the Swiss in Sunday's final. Raonic, after having gone through numerous injury concerns over the last 12 months, is slowly getting back to his best and a win against Federer will give him the much-needed boost in the lead-up to Wimbledon, starting July 2.
Known for his serve-forehand combination, Raonic can be a dangerous customer on the grass. The big-server did not even face a break point in his straight-set win over defending champion Lucas Pouille in Saturday's semi-final.
