Roger Federer of Switzerland holds the Brisbane Open men's singles trophy at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane, January 11, 2015. Federer defeated Milos Raonic of Canada in three sets to mark his 1,000th career title.
Roger Federer of Switzerland holds the Brisbane Open men's singles trophy at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane, January 11, 2015. Federer defeated Milos Raonic of Canada in three sets to mark his 1,000th career title. REUTERS/Jason Reed

Swiss tennis great Roger Federer has confirmed his participation in the inaugural TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open. The tournament is the first-ever Association of Tennis Professionals, or ATP, tennis event to be staged in Turkey. It will be played on the clay courts of Koza World of Sports Facility from April 27 to May 3, 2015.

In a video announcement posted on Istanbul Open’s official account on YouTube, Federer said he is very excited to come to Istanbul for the first time. The 17-time grand slam champion also encouraged everyone to catch him when he competes in the tournament in April.

Federer now has four clay court tournaments to take part in the first half of the tennis season. He had previously announced that he would be playing at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters in April, Mutua Madrid Open in May and Internazionali BNL d'Italia also in May.

Turkish Tennis Federation President Cengiz Durmus said in a press conference held at Ritz Carlton Hotel that Federer’s participation in the tournament will provide great support to the tennis sport in the country. Durmus is optimistic that the world’s top male and female tennis stars will follow the footsteps of the Swiss tennis legend and take part in the event in the coming years.

Meanwhile, Garanti Koza Board Member Serhan Baykal has revealed how they managed to get the second-ranked male tennis athlete make his commitment at the Istanbul Open. Baykal said that Federer was persuaded after a long discussion.

“Federer is a legend,” Baykal said. “He saw how much the Turkish tennis fans want him and he accepted our offer.”

The TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open is part of the ATP World Tour 250 event. It will take place in the week 18 of the 2015 ATP World Tour calendar in conjunction with the Munich, Estoril and Madrid Masters tournaments.

Currently, Federer is in Dubai for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. He is on a quest to defend his 2014 title in the most crowded city in the United Arab Emirates. The men’s singles draw for the Dubai tennis event is yet to be announced.

To report problems or leave feedback on this article, email: r.corpuz@IBTimes.com.au.

Video source: YouTube/İstanbul Open

RELATED STORIES