World No.7 Tomas Berdych was the first player to arrive in Thailand yesterday to take part in this week's World Tennis Thailand Championship in Hua Hin.
Tomas Berdych arrives in Thailand yesterday with his girlfriend.
The Czech arrived with his girlfriend Ester Satorova and was welcomed at Suvarnabhumi airport by Thai tennis chief Suwat Liptapanlop.
"I am glad to return to Thailand after playing at the Thailand Open last year,'' said Berdych, the top seed at the six-man Hua Hin tournament, to be played Dec 31-Jan 2.
"My girlfriend and I are excited that we will take part in several activities.
"I hope this tournament will be a good warm-up venue for my preparation for next season. I hope it helps me get ready for the Australian Open [next month]."
Berdych lost to Canada's Milos Raonic in last year's final of the Thailand Open, which has since ceased to exist.
Raonic will also play in Hua Hin with the other four players being world No.10 David Ferrer of Spain, No.19 John Isner of the US, No.20 Fabio Fognini of Italy and No.26 Richard Gasquet of France.
Ferrer will meet Gasquet and Isner will take on Fognini on the opening day on Dec 31, with the winners facing Berdych or Raonic in the semi-finals on Jan 1.
The final and third-place play-off will take place on Jan 2.
The tournament offers a total purse of US$100,000 with the winner of each match receiving $10,000 and the champion $40,000.