Roger Federer returns to action at the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart

World No. 5 Roger Federer will return to action this week in Stuttgart, Germany for the Mercedes Open. In the lead up to the Wimbledon, which begins on July 3, Federer will also play in the Halle Open starting next week.

The Swiss master took a two-month hiatus from the sport after defeating Rafael Nadal in the final of the Miami Open to claim his third title of the year. Federer had also won the Austrian Open, his career 18th Grand Slam title, and the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells before clinching the ATP Masters 1000 title in Key Biscayne, Florida. Federer owns a 19-1 record in 2017, with his only loss coming to Evgeny Donskoy in the second round of the Dubai Open.

As of this writing, odds makers have tipped Federer as the outright favourite to win the 2017 Wimbledon. Andy Murray, the reigning champion, has the second best odds, followed by Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Federer hasn't won at the hallowed turf of the All England Tennis Club since 2012 when he beat Murray to capture his 17th Grand Slam title. Federer and Pete Sampras have each won a record seven Wimbledon titles.

Roger Federer returns to the court on Wednesday

According to The Telegraph, Federer would play his first match in Stuttgart on Wednesday against either German veteran Tommy Haas or France's Pierre-Hugues Herbert. Federer would likely face Mischa Zverev in the Round of 8 followed by a clash against former Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych in the semi-final.

The report added that Federer stands to have his record tally of 18 Grand Slam titles broken by Rafael Nadal, who made history Sunday by capturing his 10th Roland Garros title and 15th major championship. "Federer may need to win another major before he retires if he wants to ensure he remains ahead of Rafael Nadal in the overall standings. Nadal's French Open triumph on Sunday took him to 15 grand slams, and within three of Federer's record of 18."

Last year, Roger Federer reached the final 4 in Stuttgart before falling to Austrian sensation Dominic Thiem. His grass-court season continued with semi-finals losses to Alexander Zverev in Halle and Milos Raonic in Wimbledon. He hasn't won a grass-court title since the Halle Open in 2015. This year, Federer would look to win in Stuttgart and Halle o gather momentum ahead of the 2017 Wimbledon.