The Hamburg ATP tournament has upgraded its status from the ATP 250 to the ATP 500 and now takes place right before the Paris Slam. Last season it was the ATP 250 tournament, which was held in July.
The ATP "500" tournaments have a rule: at least one player from the top 10 must participate. The German Tennis Federation invited Alexander Zverev, apparently for a generous fee.
Zverev hardly needs a home tournament before Roland Garros. He will go to France as a contender for the title. It would make more sense to start preparing for the tournament in Paris. While it would be inappropriate to play sloppily in the first round, it would not be a disgrace to lose in the second round to Muller, who has beaten Fonseca, Lechechka, Umber and Comesana on clay this season.
