STARNBERG, November 7, 2018

The 2018 and ninth edition of the Marburg Open was probably the last ATP Challenger event held at the venue of the TV 1965 Marburg. This was announced by the tournament’s organizer Heiko Hampl.

“It’s all about economy and organization of a tournament,” Hampl, who is also responsible for the Koblenz Open in January, stated on facebook.

“I have now organized 10 Challengers and three Futures. These events took place either at tennis clubs or at a neutral venue. My own experience and those of the other organizers show that the competences have to be clearly distributed. Either a club manages to organize a tournament itself or an organizer rents a facility. There is only black or white, as anything else does not work.

“The tournament had a great tradition and a high status in Marburg. Therefore it is a pity. But maybe the club manages to organize a tournament again, that would be the right way from my point of view,” said Hampl, who will launch a new tournament in Ludwigshafen next year.

“I will keep the first Wimbledon week and will host a Challenger at the BASF TC Ludwigshafen. The venue provides an excellent infrastructure to meet the requirements of the ATP in 2019.”

The new event in Ludwigshafen will take place from 1 to 7 July 2019. The Koblenz Open will return for the third time to the CGM Arena. The ATP Challenger Tour 80 event will be held indoors from 14 to 20 January 2019.