In his second match of the tournament, he beat Jan-Lennard Struff in his first three-set match of the year. He then lost to Philipp Kohlschreiber in the quarterfinals in straight sets. The next tournament he entered was the 2016 Mutua Madrid Open. He had his best victory after coming back on the tour, defeating 14th seed Dominic Thiem in straight sets. He lost his next match to Jack Sock in two sets. He then competed at the 2016 MercedesCup. His first grass tournament since 2013 Wimbledon Championships. He started off against Grigor Dimitrov, winning in straight sets. He then saw off John Millman in two sets. He faced fourth seed Gilles Simon in the quarterfinal, emerging victorious in three sets. He then played seventh seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, who had defeated him earlier this year at the 2016 BMW Open, losing in straight sets.