Roger Federer has entered the ATP event in Istanbul, meaning he is now scheduled to play four clay-court tournaments before the French Open. The world No. 2 would be playing five of eight weeks during the clay-court season if he competes in all the tournaments on his schedule, which also includes the Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome Masters events.
The TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open, an ATP 250-level event, will be in its first year. Federer has not previously played in Turkey. "I’m very excited to be coming to Istanbul for the first time," he said.
The stadium has 7,500 seats, with the tournament reportedly selling 30,000 tickets once Federer's participation was confirmed.