Thompson has enjoyed a breakout season in 2017 after defeating David Ferrer, Jack Sock and then world No.1 Andy Murray the week before Wimbledon

The 23-year-old played alongside Australian No.1 and Canberra superstar Nick Kyrgios en route to the Davis Cup semi-final.

Thompson could have sent Australia to its first Davis Cup final in 14 years but fell in the fifth and deciding rubber against another giant-killer in Steve Darcis.

Thompson reached a career-high ranking of world No. 63 this season and will arrive in the capital as the top seed for the second straight year.

Australian teammate John Millman will also compete for the USD$75,000 prizemoney on offer, with players from 14 countries converging on the capital this weekend.

Following surgery Millman returned to tour in red-hot form and defeated Kyrgios on his way to a career-best third round US Open berth last month.

With no points to defend until May, world no. 218 Millman is expected to rise up the rankings over the summer and feature at his fourth Australian Open.

"It has been a challenging year but I'm happy with my results at the US Open and playing in my first Davis Cup for Australia which was an amazing honour," Millman said.

"My big focus is staying healthy and getting back into the top 100. I've been managing my body the last month and am excited to get back on court in Canberra."

The duo will be joined by countrymen Matthew Ebden, Alex Bolt, Luke Saville and Marc Polmans who made the 2016 final and won back to back titles at the ACT Claycourt Internationals in March.

American's Mitchell Krueger, Noah Rubin and recent top-100 player Taro Daniel will lead the international contingent.

Canberra product James Frawley will lead an Australian contingent in qualifying, with Matthew Barton, Andrew Harris and Harry Bouchier all in the mix.

Tournament director Kim Kachel said the men's and women's draw were once again full of depth and encouraged Canberrans to get down and support some of the world's best players.

"We have a blockbuster field, with five current or former top 100 players set for the Canberra International, and to also have Davis Cup players here is really exciting," Kachel said.

"There are so many players returning to Canberra, which is a positive sign they are enjoying Lyneham's world class facility and the event is a great opportunity for the community to watch world class tennis in their own backyard".

Qualifiers begin at the Lyneham Tennis Centre on Saturday, with the main draw expected to kick-off on Monday.