The master of the house.

Ruud has already won this tournament twice, and even though last year he lost in the quarterfinals, he’s still one of the favorites, if not THE favorite.

End of the ordeal for Ruud, who absolutely does not want to play on grass and prefers to use this short month to recover and switch off. Personally, I think it’s a very good choice; he has to change his whole game to be competitive on that surface. He played his little Wimbledon tournament as usual and now he’s ready to come back and win again. He particularly likes this tournament, both in terms of conditions and the overall vibe; he feels good here. In the first round he faces Faria, who can be seen as a real trap, especially when you need to find your rhythm again after a short month of holidays, even if it might not seem like much.

Faria has just beaten the local Wawrinka in a tight, cagey match as expected. He played a typical match for what he usually offers: he serves well but hits double faults, he fights hard from the baseline and can show great mental resilience, BUT he has little lapses with some blatant errors and games that he throws away. It’s a tough first round, which can also help him free himself up; we saw it again with Kym today against Tsitsipas. It’s easier to come in as a big underdog after having scraped through by the skin of your teeth.

As for the match‑up, it’s obviously dictated by the altitude. I’m expecting another fairly tight match if both players serve to their usual standard. Even though Ruud is extremely experienced and strong in these conditions, and at this tournament in particular, I’d be quite surprised to see him win easily, because there’s a good opponent on the other side of the net and the Norwegian is also lacking a bit of rhythm.