Third seed Juan Martin del Potro will head warily into his Rotterdam Open debut match on Wednesday when the Argentine faces jet-lagged but lethal opposition in France's former champion Michael Llodra.
The Frenchman will take to the court at the Ahoy stadium, flying in from nine time zones away after helping his country to a 4-1 Davis Cup win over Canada in Vancouver.
The personable number 47, who is a threat in both singles and doubles, won the Rotterdam title in 2008 when he beat Swede Robin Soderling.
But Del Potro, who has been in Europe for days and is well-acclimated to conditions, is wary heading into his high-profile first-round clash. The South American won their only previous encounter at Roland Garros in 2009.
"Llodra will be a big danger for me," said the cautious Del Potro, who is only now feeling fully returned and confident after his 2010 wrist injury and subsequent rehab and recovery.
"His slice and drop shots are tricky. I'll have to be ready to fight for every point. It will be a test of my form right now," he said of Llodra.
The Argentine is making few big wishes for this season, other than to play through it solidly and without any injury interruptions.
"I'm just glad to be back in the Top 10 and improving my game. My goal is to play healthy all season. I'm close to my best level again and can only gain confidence."
Joining Del Potro as interest picks up this week will be top seed Roger Federer, competing here for the first time since lifting the trophy during his golden period in 2005. He faces France's Nicolas Mahut.
Czech second seed Tomas Berdych takes on Davis Cup teammate Lukas Rosol to start.
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