Roger Federer has confirmed he will play at next week's Internazionali d'Italia as he continues his clay-court preparations for the French Open.
The Swiss made his first appearance at a clay-court tournament in three years at the Madrid Open this week, reaching the quarter-final stage before being ousted by Dominic Thiem in three sets on Friday.
He was named in the draw for this year's Internazionali d'Italia on Friday and has now reiterated he will be involved at a tournament he has never won but where he is a four-time runner-up.
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"I just finished speaking to the team and happy to say I'm coming back to Rome to play in Italy," he said in a video posted on his social media accounts.
"Can't wait, so exciting, it's been too long."
Federer, who will be the third seed in Rome, has a first-round bye and will face either Frances Tiafoe or Joao Sousa in his opening match.
The 20-time grand slam winner will hope to build some momentum ahead of the French Open, which begins later this month.