Roger Federer to play Halle, will be joined by Zverev, Medvedev & Rublev - Reports

As per recent reports, Roger Federer will be playing the 2021 Noventi Open at Halle in the lead-up to Wimbledon. The Swiss is on the entry list for the ATP 500 tournament, and is expected to kick-start his grasscourt season there.

Roger Federer is a 10-time champion at Halle, and he will reportedly be joined in the German city by the likes of Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov and Roberto Bautista Agut.

ATP500 Halle entry list incl. Federer, Zverev, Medvedev, Hurkacz, Nishikori, Auger-Aliassime and Rublev, source @DartsTennis pic.twitter.com/8oqPMO3TXf

— Michal Samulski (@MichalSamulski) May 19, 2021

Roger Federer will be playing Halle for a whopping 18th time; the event has served as a Wimbledon tune-up for him throughout his career. His decision to enter the tournament this year is a no-brainer though, especially after his disappointing loss to Pablo Andujar in the second round of the Geneva Open.

Making his return to tennis after a two-month break, Roger Federer struggled to maintain his consistency as he lost to the Spaniard in three sets. In the aftermath of the match, Federer went as far as admitting that his main priority was doing well on grass and not clay, and that he was looking forward to getting more matches under his belt.

His fans would be hoping that the Swiss maestro is in better shape by the time Roland Garros rolls around, which could perhaps spur him on to do well on grass too.

Roger Federer's performance in Halle could have an impact on his campaign at Wimbledon

Roger Federer poses with the Halle title in 2019

Roger Federer won his first Halle title back in 2003, defeating Nicolas Kiefer in the final. The victory served as the platform from which he registered his maiden Grand Slam triumph at Wimbledon that same year.

Federer has gone on to triumph at the All-England Club four of the 10 times he has won the Halle Open.

The Swiss has, however, had some rough losses on the lawns of Halle too. He has dropped championship matches at the event to the likes of Tommy Haas, Lleyton Hewitt and Borna Coric.

Having said that, Roger Federer reigned supreme at Halle the last time it was played (beating David Goffin in the final). He then followed that up with another run to the Wimbledon final, where he lost a dramatic five-set epic to Novak Djokovic.

The grasscourt tournament in Westfallen, Germany is returning to the calendar after a gap of one year; the 2020 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Roger Federer on his part would be hoping to resume his dominance at the event this year, and subsequently launch his Wimbledon campaign with some measure of confidence.