Stan Wawrinka hopes the Qatar Open ends his worrying title drought although the fanfare surrounding the newly-created ATP Cup more than 10,000km away in Australia means his efforts this week may struggle to register barely a blip on the global tennis radar.
The 34-year-old Wawrinka, a three-time major winner, is top seed in Doha which boasts a respectable $1.4 million prize fund.
Wawrinka has not won a title since pocketing the 16th of his career on the Geneva clay in 2017.
His last outdoor hard court trophy was in 2016 when he captured his third and most recent Grand Slam at the US Open.
Wawrinka, runner-up to Andy Murray in Doha in 2008 and a quarter-finalist 12 months ago, will face French veteran Jeremy Chardy or a qualifier in his opening match in the Qatari capital.