Tournament Preview: Hamburg 13-21 May 2006 ATP MASTERS SERIES HAMBURG 2006 Back to back with the Rome Masters event, Hamburg is the last of the major clay tournaments in the leadup to Roland Garros. It is time for players to fine-tune their claycourt games in preparation for the Grand Slam in Paris 2 weeks from now. Last year's final saw surprise qualifier Richard Gasquet face up to world number 1 Roger Federer. This year, the Swiss master will be going for his 4th Hamburg title and his 3rd consecutive title, after strong showings in the last 2 clay masters events in Monte Carlo and Rome. The world's best claycourter, Rafael Nadal, will also be appearing in Hamburg this year, after he was forced to withdraw due to fatigue last year. He will be hoping to break Guillermo Vilas' 53 match claycourt winning streak, as well as capture yet another clay masters trophy to add to his collection. Some of the highlights from the first round include: Nikolay Davydenko v Nicolas Massu: Both players who are no strangers to clay. Massu recently won the Casablanca tournament and Davydenko reached the semis of Roland Garros last year, though has been having a slight slump so far this year. These 2 players have never met before so it should be an interesting matchup. Gaël Monfils v Andy Murray: 2 young guns of the circuit, Monfils reached a career best semifinals appearance at the Rome Masters last week, losing only to Nadal. His opponent is more suitable to hardcourts, however has won some matches on clay this year too. Murray celebrates his 19th birthday on the opening day of this Hamburg tournament. The 2 teenagers have not played each other before, but both will be keen to continue their rise up the rankings. If Monfils is not too fatigued from Rome, he will be favoured to win this match. Carlos Moya v James Blake: This may seem like a mismatch on clay, however it could prove to be an interesting match. Moya is a former world number 1 and French Open champion. He is perhaps past his prime now, though 2 weeks ago reached the semifinals in Estoril. This year he also won the clay tournament in Buenos Aires. Blake is definitely more known as a fast court player and will probably struggle on clay, though he should not be discounted. Moya leads their head to heads 5-1 and won their only previous claycourt meeting in Düsseldorf 2003, he will be favourite to win here too. Gaston Gaudio v Alberto Martin: Gaudio is regarded as one of the better claycourters around at the moment, following his French Open win in 2004. He has had numerous successes on clay and, despite his shock loss in the first round of Rome last week, will still be considered one of the favourites to reach the semifinals here in Hamburg. Alberto Martín, despite his lower ranking, is a dangerous and experienced player on clay. This year he reached the final of Costa do Sauipe. Gaudio leads their head to heads 3-1, and also won their last meeting on clay which took place in Buenos Aires last year. He will also be favoured to take out this opening round match. Tommy Haas v Rafael Nadal: A great match for German fans in Hamburg as their local hero takes on the world's best claycourter. After suffering an injury in the semis of Houston, Haas has not had much claycourt practice this year. Facing Nadal in the first round here will be a daunting task, though he may have the advantage of being more rested than his younger opponent who was still playing the best-of-5 Rome final on Sunday afternoon. Of course, if all things are as they should be, Nadal will be favourite, but Haas could make it tough for him in what will be their first meeting. Qualifying takes place the weekend prior to the tournament and the main draw action will commence on Monday 15 May. Daily play Monday-Saturday at 11am and Sunday's final at 1pm. Tickets may be purchased online. The tournament is held at the DTB Rothenbaum and is accessible by underground, getting off at stop Haltestelle Hallerstraße, and the official player hotel is the Le Royal Meridien Hamburg located in the heart of Hamburg at the Aussenalster Lake. For more travel information and tips on Germany's harbour city, visit the tournament website. Tournament Fast Facts: Venue: DTB Rothenbaum Sport GmbH, Hamburg, Germany Dates: 13-21 May 2006 Singles Qualifying draw: 32 Main Draw Singles: 64 Main Draw Doubles: 32 Surface: Outdoor clay Prize money: € 1 870 000 Tournament Director: Walter Knapper Main Draw Entry List: Federer, Roger SUI Nadal, Rafael ESP Ljubicic, Ivan CRO Davydenko, Nikolay RUS Coria, Guillermo ARG Blake, James USA Gaudio, Gaston ARG Ferrer, David ESP Kiefer, Nicolas GER Stepanek, Radek CZE Ferrero, Juan Carlos ESP Gasquet, Richard FRA Ancic, Mario CRO Gonzalez, Fernando CHI Ginepri, Robby USA Johansson, Thomas SWE Grosjean, Sebastien FRA Nieminen, Jarkko FIN Robredo, Tommy ESP Baghdatis, Marcos CYP Berdych, Tomas CZE Hrbaty, Dominik SVK Haas, Tommy GER Rochus, Olivier BEL Monfils, Gael FRA Chela, Juan Ignacio ARG Volandri, Filippo Verdasco, Fernando ESP Tursunov, Dmitry RUS Acasuso, Jose ARG Moya, Carlos ESP Massu, Nicolas CHI Serra, Florent FRA Rochus, Christophe BEL Malisse, Xavier BEL Srichaphan, Paradorn THA Mathieu, Paul-Henri FRA Youzhny, Mikhail RUS Lopez, Feliciano ESP Murray, Andy GBR Horna, Luis PER Santoro, Fabrice FRA Rusedski, Greg GBR Novak, Jiri CZE Safin, Marat RUS Mirnyi, Max BLR Sanguinetti, Davide ITA Vliegen, Kristof BEL Seppi, Andreas ITA Martin, Alberto ESP Pashanski, Boris SCG Wawrinka, Stanislas SUI