Novak Djokovic will conduct his traditional Wimbledon warm-up at the The Boodles Tennis exhibition in Stoke park, England.
The French Open champion will play in the exhibition event for the 11th consecutive time in his career. Joining the world No.1 will be a variety of players from different spectrums of the tour. Other entrants include Juan Martin Del Potro, David Goffin, Nick Kyrgios, Goran Ivanisevic and world No.1 junior player Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Tournament director Patricio Apey spoke of his delight about welcoming Djokovic back to the event as well as other notable participants.
“We are incredibly privileged that Novak Djokovic has chosen to come to The Boodles every year since 2006 and will return once again to complete his Wimbledon preparations.” He said in a statement.
“We are also delighted to have former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro back from injury and joining us again along with some of the stars of the future in Zverev, Krygios and Coric.”
The diverse field aims to showcase the next generation of the tour with the inclusion of Kyrgios and Coric, both of whom are tipped to fill the void once the ‘big four’ retire from the sport.
One notable absence will be former world No.1 Rafael Nadal. Originally confirmed for the tournament, he has been forced to miss the entire grass-court swing this season due to a wrist injury. The issue forced him to withdraw a day before his third round match at the French Open.
This year marks the 14th edition of the Boodles Challenge, which was founded in 2002 by sports agent Apey. The aim of the event is to provide players with a facility where they can get some match play in before the start of the Wimbledon championships. The unique format includes both current and retired players.
Proceedings will get underway in Stoke park in June 21st, a week before to start of the third grand slam of the year.
2016 Boodles Challenge player list
Novak Djokovic (SRB)
David Goffin (BEL)
John Isner (USA)
Gilles Simon (FRA)
Nick Kyrgios (AUS)
Viktor Troicki (SRB)
Lucas Pouille (FRA)
Jeremy Chardy (FRA)
Fabio Fognini (ITA)
Alexander Zverev (GER)
Nicolas Almagro (ESP)
Borna Coric (CRO)
Aljaz Bedene (GBR)
Robin Haase (NED)
Juan Monaco (ARG)
Mischa Zverev (GER)
Juan Martin del Potro (ARG)
Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)
