Scouting Report: Zverev, Fritz lead Stuttgart; Medvedev headlines 's-Hertogenbosch

The grass-court season commences on the ATP Tour this week. There is ATP 250 action at the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart and at the Libema Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz lead the field in Germany, while Daniil Medvedev and Ugo Humbert are the top two seeds in The Netherlands. ATPTour.com looks ahead at five things to watch at each event.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN STUTTGART
1) Zverev leads the field: Zverev will make his first appearance in Stuttgart since 2019. The 28-year-old arrives on home soil off the back of a quarter-final exit at Roland Garros and will be hoping for a smooth transition to the grass courts. The 28-year-old has won 24 tour-level titles but has never triumphed on grass. The top seed faces Corentin Moutet or 2013 champion Fabio Fognini in the first round.

2) Can Fritz find form? Fritz’s up-and-down season continued at Roland Garros, where he suffered a first-round loss to Daniel Altmaier. The 27-year-old is the second seed at the ATP 250 event and is seeking his fourth grass-court title, having won in Eastbourne on three occasions.

3) Shelton, Felix threats: Ben Shelton went 4-4 on grass last season, which included an opening-round defeat in Stuttgart. The third-seeded American will meet Damir Dzumhur or a qualifier in his opening match at this year’s event. Felix Auger-Aliassime is a two-time finalist at the BOSS OPEN (2019, 2021) and will be seeking his third title of the season. The Canadian also lost in the first round at Roland Garros.

4) #NextGenATP stars Tien & Engel in action: Learner Tien, 19, and Justin Engel, 17, will both make their Stuttgart debuts. Tien, currently third in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, has never played on grass at either tour-level or ATP Challenger Tour level. Germany’s Engel has received a wild card and will meet a qualifier in the first round.

5) Krawietz/Puetz top seeds in doubles: Germans Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz continue the quest for their first title of the season on home soil in Stuttgart. Singles star Fritz is also in doubles action, teaming with Jiri Lehecka.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN ‘S-HERTOGENBOSCH
1) Medvedev chasing form: Medvedev arrives on the grass off the back of a disappointing first-round exit to Cameron Norrie at Roland Garros. The top seed in ‘s-Hertogenbsoch, the 29-year-old will hope to add to his only previous grass-court title (Mallorca 2021). Medvedev is 18-11 on the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, and at No. 11 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

2) Humbert second seed: A semi-finalist in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last year, Humbert returns this season hoping to put his injury issues behind him. The Frenchman retired during his second-round clash against Jacob Fearnley at Roland Garros after going over on his ankle but is fit enough to compete at the ATP 250. The 26-year-old opens against Rinky Hijikata or a qualifier.

3) De Jong, Van de Zandschulp lead home hopes: Jesper de Jong and Botic van de Zandschulp will lead Dutch hopes after receiving wild cards. There has been Dutch success at the ATP 250 in the past, with Tallon Griekspoor lifting the trophy in 2023 and Tim van Rijthoven in 2022.

4) Basavareddy uses Next Gen entry: Nishesh Basavareddy has used his Next Gen entry spot to compete in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Next Gen players ranked in the Top 250 are eligible for one ATP 250 main draw spot each season. The 20-year-old American has never played a tour-level or ATP Challenger Tour match on grass.

5) Mektic/Venus top seeds: Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus headline the doubles field. The top seeds won their only title of the season in Auckland in January. Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool are the second seeds. The Brits have triumphed in Brisbane and Doha this year.