Roger Federer (Photo : Getty Images)
Roger Federer will have a chance to start his season anew when he competes at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, Germany on June 6.
After skipping most of the competition this year due to injuries, Federer has a chance to realign his campaign in the grass-court season, starting at the Mercedes Cup, where he is scheduled to play after pulling out of the French Open.
According to Stuttgart tournament director Edwin Weindorfer, Federer is schedule to practice on Sunday at the Tennis Club Weissenhof, where the Swiss Maestro has a chance to test his form following a back injury that forced him to miss Roland Garros.
Federer heads into the grass-court tournament for the first time since 2013 without having won a single ATP World Tour title.
The 34-year-old was close to winning his first trophy of the season at the Brisbane International earlier this year, but a flu-like virus contributed on his final round loss against Canada's Milos Raonic. He then loss to career rival Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open, which was followed by a knee injury that forced him to miss more than two months of tennis action.
His latest setback, which has sidelined him from this year's French Open, was part of a back problem that also forced him to miss the Madrid Open and played a major part in his poor performance at the Italian Open, where he got defeated by Austrian youngster Dominic Thiem in Round of 16.
Playing Stuttgart would not only help Federer start his season afresh, but also gives the Swiss a chance to prepare for Wimbledon, which kicks off later this month.
The last time Federer won at Wimbledon was in 2012, which was also the last Grand Slam event he won. He was close to winning in Church Road in his past two appearances at the tournament, but was defeated by Djokovic on both occasions.
Federer will have limited time and opportunities to be in his lethal form for Wimbledon, although winning tournaments leading up to the third Grand Slam event of the year would be monumental for his confidence and game. But ultimately, it behooves Federer to stay healthy heading into the grass-court season.
