MercedesCup 2021: Wawrinka and Shapovalov are also coming to Stuttgart
Nine ATP season winners are on the preliminary entry list for the MercedesCup 2021. The three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka is also planning his return for the traditional tournament at the Stuttgart Weissenhof.
by PM
last edit: May 18, 2021, 04:06 pm
Due to the overlap with the second week of the French Open in Paris, the entry list for the MercedesCup from June 7th to 13th, 2021 may still be one or the other change, when the entry deadline was yesterday, Monday evening, the preliminary field of participants for the ATP- Lawn tournament at the Stuttgart Weissenhof with a multitude of well-known names! The main field is led by Alexander Zverev , who has already won tournaments in Acapulco and Madrid this year.
Together with the current German number one, Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO / Doha, Munich), Hubert Hurkacz (POL / Delray Beach, Miami), Alex de Minaur (AUS / Antalya), Jannik Sinner (ITA / Melbourne - Great Ocean Road Open ), Alexei Popyrin (AUS / Singapore), Aslan Karatsev (RUS / Dubai), Cristian Garin (CHI / Santiago) and Lorenzo Sonego (ITA / Cagliari) no fewer than nine winners of the season for the MercedesCup. However, the rush for starting places in the main field means that Popyrin will have to go the "detour" via qualification in order to be able to intervene in the fight for the title at Weissenhof. However, Nick Kyrgios is a done deal, as the Australian eccentric will not take part in the French Open.
Struff 2019 in the semifinals
Stan Wawrinka , who lost the final at the Weissenhof in 2007 - at that time still on red ashes - against the Spanish clay court king Rafael Nadal in just two sets, is also planning his return to Stuttgart. In addition to three Grand Slam triumphs (Australian Open 2014, French Open 2015, US Open 2016), 13 other ATP tournament victories are on the sporting calling card of the Swiss. The Canadian top 20 trio Denis Shapovalov (ATP-15), Milos Raonic (16) and Felix Auger-Aliassime (19) are also planning to set course for Stuttgart. Raonic (2018) and Auger-Aliassime (2019) have already proven their turf qualities with their finals at the MercedesCup. And then there would also be Germany's number two Jan-Lennard Struff , who two years ago at Weissenhof only had to admit defeat to eventual tournament winner Matteo Berrettini (ITA) in the semifinals.
The cut-off of 42, i.e. the world ranking position that is necessary to be in the main field, proves the "run" on this year's MercedesCup as well as the fact that in the preliminary main field with Zverev (4), Australian- Open semi-finalists Karatsev (7), Hurkacz (8) and Sinner (10) have four players who are in the top ten in the “Race to Turin”.
Due to the exceptional situation around the date collision with the second French Open week, qualification begins on Monday, June 7th, 2021, and the main draw on Tuesday, June 8th, 2021. In addition, the organizers of the MercedesCup have five wildcards instead of the usual three available for the main field. “With this field of participants, we can look forward to an attractive and first-class MercedesCup despite the difficult conditions. We are of course aware that depending on the tournament at the French Open there may still be changes in the Stuttgart main field. In return, we will withhold a few wildcards until the last possible time in order to be able to react quickly to current developments in Paris, ”explains MercedesCup tournament director Edwin Weindorfer .