Roger Federer, the world's third-ranked male Tennis player, will be leading the pack at the 2018 Swiss Indoors in Basel. Playing at this event based right in his hometown has always been a special part of the ATP calendar for Federer who will now try to earn at least one more title before the season ends.
Roger Federer is also the defending champion of this ATP 500 event. A record-breaking eighth title landed in Federer's pocket after he managed to get past Juan Martin del Potro in last year's final.
Losing in the semis of Shanghai Rolex Masters to Borna Coric added a bitter taste in Federer's side.
It also made it clear that Basel presents the right opportunity to bounce back to winning ways.
Roger Federer has a tricky opening draw
When looking at the Swiss Indoors Basel's main draw, a couple of things might be cause for a lifted eyebrow or two. According to atpworldtour.com, Roger Federer leads the bottom half of the draw, a segment where the seeds are notorious names of the game.
Roger Federer will open his campaign by facing Filip Krajinovic, a player who made quite a noise in the closing stages of 2017 when he reached the final of the ATP 1000 event at Paris-Bercy. Some injuries kept him from delivering his best tennis in 2018 but he remains a tough opponent for an opening round.
Getting past this first test would put Federer on a collision course with a recent nightmare.
John Millman, the seemingly unknown Aussie player who knocked Federer out at the 2018 US Open looms for the second round. It would be either Millman or Jan-Lennard Struff.
If Federer finds his optimal form, he should reach the quarterfinals where the big hitter Jack Sock may arrive too. The American has been struggling with form but the indoor season suits his serve-related game well.
Swiss Indoors Basel is an all-around minefield
Roger Federer may have won eight titles in the past, but his bid for a record-breaking ninth title is far from being a walk in the park.
Assuming that he'll book a slot in the semis, some interesting opponents may emerge. According to tennisworldusa.com, that second quarter of the draw has a lot of potential as two recently crowned champions are trying to make their move.
Both Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev made the most out of the recent months as they managed to access ATP glory.
Tsitsipas won the title the other day in Stockholm while Medvedev had a solid run during the recently ended Asian swing. He won the ATP 500 event in Tokyo after being forced to go through the qualifying stages. A couple of days later he lost a close three sets battle with Roger Federer in Shanghai Round of 32.
The bottom half of the draw has Alexander Zverev (5 ATP) and Marin Cilic (6 ATP) as its big guns. After a solid first part of the season, they both lost speed and Basel presents a great chance to brush off some of the rust.
