Chennai: World No. 2 Rafael Nadal will lead a strong field at the Chennai Open, to be held from January 2-8 next year.
The tournament is South Asia's only ATP International Series event and will open the new tennis season.
The line-up also includes defending champion Carlos Moya, and Asia's top-ranking player and 2003 champion Paradorn Srichaphan.
This will be Nadal's second visit to Chennai, after a mixed outing in 2004, when he was a first round upset victim in the singles but won the doubles title with Tommy Robredo.
At a press conference to announce the player field for the event the President of the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association, V Narayanan, said the Chennai Open would be a springboard for talented and established players to leap ahead.
"We do not want popular players who are on their way down, but have now started bringing in players who are in-form and are going up the rankings."
Ravi Krishnan, Managing Director, IMG-TWI South Asia, announced the field for the Chennai Open and said the tournament had been generating a good response over the years.
"Chennai is the tennis capital of the country, and tournaments like this will give it global recognition," he said.
The qualifying tournament for the Chennai Open will be held on December 31, 2005, and January 1, 2006.
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