Eastbourne has made its return on the ATP Tour, with the grass court tournament now underway in England.
The ATP 250 tournament is joined by Mallorca in the schedule, both of which are taking place right before Wimbledon.
They arrive after Queen’s and the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, tournaments won by Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Bublik respectively.
And Bublik is wasting no time in taking on another tournament, with the Halle champion now playing at Eastbourne.
He has been drawn to face Francisco Comesana in the round of 32 of Eastbourne, where three-time winner Taylor Fritz is the top seed.
Two-time ATP champion withdraws from Eastbourne right before Wimbledon
Also seeded was ATP number 36 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who once reached number 29 in the world rankings.
But the seventh seed has decided to withdraw from the tournament, having been scheduled to play Cameron Norrie.
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Former British number one Norrie will now take on fellow Briton Billy Harris, who has replaced Mpetshi Perricard in Eastbourne.
Norrie is currently third in the British men’s tennis rankings behind Jack Draper and Jacob Fearnley, with Harris in fourth.
Can British hopefuls prevent further Taylor Fritz Eastbourne dominance?
Mpetshi Perricard has drawn plenty of praise in his brief career so far, which involves ATP titles in Lyon and Basel.
Young star Joao Fonseca loves Mpetshi Perricard’s serve, which has certainly troubled many top players in recent times.
And former world number one Jim Courier has predicted a bright future for Mpetshi Perricard, who won both of his titles last season.
But the Frenchman has made the significant decision to withdraw from Eastbourne just ahead of Wimbledon, where qualifying is already underway.
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Score |
| 2019 | Taylor Fritz | Sam Querrey | 6–3, 6–4 |
| 2021 | Alex de Minaur | Lorenzo Sonego | 4–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–5) |
| 2022 | Taylor Fritz | Maxime Cressy | 6–2, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–4) |
| 2023 | Francisco Cerundolo | Tommy Paul | 6–4, 1–6, 6–4 |
| 2024 | Taylor Fritz | Max Purcell | 6–4, 6–3 |
British hopes will be high at the ATP 250 event, but it is American duo Fritz and Tommy Paul who occupy the top two seeded spots.
Jakub Mensik is the third seed, with Ugo Humbert and Flavio Cobolli completing the top five at Eastbourne.
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