Roger Federer is set to make a return to the tennis court on Wednesday after sitting out the clay court season. He is set to compete in the Mercedes Cup and will be up against Tommy Haas in his first match. The Swiss tennis icon will also be sporting a new look as he has dyed his hair blond.
Federer will look to continue the impressive form he showed during the start of the year as he hopes to get in shape for Wimbledon. After winning the Australian Open at the start of the year, Federer followed that up with a win at the Indian Wells and Miami Masters. He stated in an interview recently that he has had enough breaks.
Also read: Roger Federer's Australian Open win even tops Rafael Nadal's La Decima attempt, says Andre Agassi
"There are no more breaks now, I've had enough breaks. I'm a practice world champion now and that's not who I want to be. I want to be a champ on the match courts. So I'm going to be playing a regular schedule for the second part of the season... and the beginning is at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart," ATP's official website quoted Federer as saying.
Federer will be looking to claim his fourth title of the year at the Mercedes Cup and his first at Stuttgart, but his main priority will be to use this tournament as a warm-up for the rest of the grass and hard court season. The Swiss tennis star will also be looking to break into the top four by the end of the year.
As for his opponent, Haas is most likely playing his final season in tennis, with the German reportedly considering retirement at the end of the year. Haas defeated Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 to set up this clash with Federer. He said he was happy with his first round performance and described his next opponent as a first-class guy.
"We have known each other for a very long time. We started to get closer around the time when my fiancée and his wife became friendlier. Then we had kids and started to hang out much more," Haas said.
"We used to have the same agent, Tony Godsick, who is a very close friend of mine, so it was always an easy connection. Federer is a first-class guy. I have great times with him and I am happy to call him my friend."
Haas has not been at his best for quite a few years now. His last title came way back in 2013 when he won Vienna Open. The 39-year-old veteran German has struggled this year too, and failed to get past the second round in any tournament he has taken part in.
Federer will be expected to get the win today. The Swiss also leads the German in their head-to head-record, winning 13 out of the 16 matches they have played.
Where to watch
The Mercedes Cup match between Roger Federer and Tommy Haas is set to start at around 3.30pm local time, 7:00pm IST and 2.30pm BST.
TV and live streaming information
India: TV: No coverage
UK: TV: Eurosport 2, Eurosport 2HD. Live streaming: Eurosport player
USA: TV: Fox sports, Tennis channel. Live streaming: Tennis channel
International live streaming: ATP official website (subscription needed)
