Gael Monfils is back for another shot at the Mercedes Cup title as the ATP Tour rolls on to Stuttgart next week.
July is the time when the tennis world takes a brief nap after almost three months of thrills, spills and non-stop drama. However in the past, Stuttgart has seen some great champions grace its courts. Rafael Nadal, Guillermo Coria and Gustavo Kuerten are among the clay-court legends who have won the title multiple times and although there's no one in the 2011 field of their ilk, it still promises an exciting week of world class tennis.
Monfils looked on course to triumph last year before twisting his right ankle in the final and Albert Montanes ended up being the man to drive off in a brand new Mercedes-Benz. Both are back this year though Monfils is the man to beat after storming up the rankings to a career high of seven.
Gasquet is also a strong contender after some world class performances over the past few months (he beat Roger Federer in Rome) have taken him up to eleven in the rankings, just a few places off his career high.
Watch out for Florian Mayer, enjoying one of the finest seasons of his career and the enigmatic Russian hard man Mikhail Youzhny, a player adept on any surface.
Plus, do not count out Juan Ignacio Chela. Twelve months ago, retirement seemed just around the corner for the veteran Argentine but he's now back on the verge of the top twenty and surprised everyone by making the last eight at Roland Garros.
