Roger Federer is set to end his self-imposed autumn rest period as the 2007 finalist returns to action as second seed at the Madrid Masters starting on Sunday.
The Swiss, who helped to salvage a sub-par season by winning the US Open over Andy Murray, last played three weeks ago in Davis Cup.
He has stepped away to rest after contracting glandular fever nearly a year ago, saying he would make judgment calls each week of the remainder of 2008 as to whether to compete.
But Madrid organisers got lucky, with the 13-time grand slam champion opting to take a chance and front up for the penultimate Masters event of long season.
Federer will wait for a second-round opponent as Radek Stepanek and Juan Monaco face off.
Heading the field at a tournament where all 16 seeds are handed first-round byes is world number 1 Rafael Nadal, whose record is patchy at the home event.
The Roland Garros Wimbledon and Olympic champion has lost in Madrid quarter-finals in his last two appearances after winning the title in 2005.
Nadal starts against one of two danger-men in German Nicolas Kiefer and fast-rising Latvian Ernests Gulbis.
Almost the entire Top 25 on the ATP will be playing, with only injured number 24 Croatian Marin Cilic missing.
This will be the final Madrid edition before the event shifts to a May date on clay at a brand new venue and adds a top-tier women's WTA draw.
Third seed Novak Djokovic will make a return after last month's Bangkok final followed by a Koh Samui subtropical holiday, with number four Murray taking the fourth seeding.
With the race to the Shanghai Masters Cup heating up in the final three weeks of the regular ATP season, Russian number 5 Nikolay Davydenko, sixth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer and Madrid holder David Nalbandian are all feeling the pressure.
American Andy Roddick will be playing for the fifth time after failing to get past the third round.
Argentine Juan del Potro will be hoping to have healed the toenail problem which forced him out of Vienna this week while 2004 champion Marat Safin has been given a wild card entry.
