The 2016 edition of the Gerry Weber Open is a tournament in which a lot of older veterans comprise the top seeds. If you go through the top eight seeds at this tournament, four of them are at least 30 years old. You do not find that at most tennis tournaments these days. Which veterans will hold up under the pressure, and which members of younger tennis generations will be able to move through the draw at this tournament in Halle, Germany, which is a little more than 20 years old?
The competition in the 32-player main draw began on Monday, June 13
Event Details
Event: Gerry Weber Open
Category: ATP World Tour – 500 Series
Date: June 13 -19 , 2016
Location: Gerry Weber Stadion – Halle, Germany
With a prize money allotment of 1.7 million Euros, the 500-point tournament exists on par with the other ATP 500 event in Queen’s Club during this particular part of the ATP calendar. Halle is not in England, but the quality of the field is substantial enough to represent a legitimate challenge for the seeded players in this tournament. It is a legitimate Wimbledon warm-up on several levels. If anything, Halle might be a better grass test than Queen’s Club for a counter intuitive reason: The grass in Halle is generally less stable than Queen’s. Players get a lot more bad bounces in the latter stages of the tournament from the worn-out grass near the baseline. Being accustomed to bad bounces enables a player to appreciate the needs of a successful grass-court strategy: Attacking on points, getting in the first blow, putting the opponent under pressure, leaving less to chance.
The points structure under the ATP system is that the championship means 500 points. A runner-up finish is worth 300. A semifinal result is 180 points, and a quarterfinal appearance offers 90 points. A round-of-16 results provides 45 points.
Former Champions and Results (5 Years)
Year Champion Runner-up Score
2015 – Roger Federer def. Andreas Seppi – 7-6, 6-4
2014 – Roger Federer def. Alejandro Falla – 7-6, 7-6
2013 – Roger Federer def. Mikhail Youzhny – 6-7, 6-3, 6-4
2012 – Tommy Haas def. Roger Federer – 7-6, 6-4
2011 – Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Philipp Petzschner – 7-6, 2-0 (retired)
Player Info:
It’s a tournament Roger Federer has won eight times. He’s made each of the last four finals, winning the last three of them. Federer goes for number nine as the top seed in Halle, but remember that this is different than many other times that Federer has visited. To start, Federer has rarely had injuries throughout his career, which makes this a unique visit. Now he’s coming off a somewhat long-term absence from tennis, so first of all, we’re going to want to see how he performs here. Is he rusty? Has he lost momentum? Is he durable? But beyond those questions, we’ll also want to see how Federer is playing from an age perspective. He’s in the twilight of his career and his standing at Halle – or any tournament – is far more fragile than in previous years. If he looks shaky here – for any reason – we’ll be betting against him at Wimbledon.
Going further down the list, Kei Nishikori is the second seed but he’s a vulnerable No. 2 seed. He hasn’t done a whole lot this year. Dominic Thiem, who beat Federer early Saturday in Stuttgart (semifinals), is the third seed. He’s someone that could actually win this event if Federer stumbles. Tomas Berdych is fourth, David Goffin fifth, David Ferrer sixth, Viktor Troicki seventh, Philipp Kohlschreiber eighth.
This isn’t the most challenging field for Federer but if he’s not in good shape, Halle becomes wide open. If that’s what you believe going in, then look at guys like Thiem, Goffin and Berdych as players that could possibly take it.
Gael Monfils had to withdraw. American Taylor Fritz, who lost to Federer in Stuttgart, 6-4 in the third set, got a wildcard entry to this tournament.
Gerry Weber Stadion
The facilities in Halle are state of the art. The main stadium court for the Gerry Weber Open is a 12,300-seat multi-deck stadium with a retractable roof which can close within 90 seconds to facilitate minimal interruptions of play. Tournament organizers are hoping Federer can at least make the final, because as long as he’s there, the stadium court will be filled.
