Italian star Fabio Fognini has been announced as part of the final men's field for the ASB Classic next month.
Fognini is currently ranked 13th in the world and will enter the tournament as its second seed.
His consistency has seen him capture three titles though 2018 - at Los Cabos, where he beat Juan Martin Del Potro in the final - Bastad and Sao Paulo in a career-best year.
This will be the fourth time the 31-year-old has played in Auckland, having progressed to the quarter-final stage of 2016 tournament.
"I like playing in Auckland," said Fognini. "I've had some great matches there and the crowd is amazing to play in front of.
"I've been playing some great tennis this year and I hope to do the same in 2019."
The fiery right-hander has captured eight ATP World Tour titles and holds a unique record of being the only player to record a victory over Rafael Nadal after being two sets down in a Grand Slam.
He was also fined US$96,000 and received a provisional suspension for verbally abusing a female umpire at the 2017 US Open.
Tournament director Karl Budge is excited about seeing Fognini's renowned on-court passion back on NZ soil.
"Fabio is one of the most entertaining blokes on tour," said Budge.
"He plays with that real Italian passion and flare that captivates crowds. He is great to have in the field."
Fognini's addition rounds out an impressive group of participants in the 2018 men's competition - John Isner, former world number four Tomas Berdych, defending champion Roberto Bautista-Agut, renowned showman Gaels Monfils, and rising stars Denis Shapovalov and Hyeon Chung.
"When you start looking at some of the match-ups that we could have in the men's field, it's going to be an action-packed week, especially in those first few days of the tournament."
The ASB Classic gets underway on December 31 and runs through until January 12.
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