HAMBURG, November 27, 2018
The new organizer of the ATP Tour tournament at the Rothenbaum Tennis Center, Peter-Michael Reichel, made a “clear commitment” to the location of Hamburg. This was announced by the German Tennis Federation (DTB) on Monday.
“Together with our partners, we plan to keep the tournament in Hamburg for the long term. The historic alliance with the city and the DTB, which makes the revitalization of the stadium possible, is an important step in this direction,” Reichel said.
Together with his Reichel Business Group, the 66-year-old Austrian will organize the ATP-500 event for the first time from 20 to 29 July 2019. The contract with the DTB lasts for initially five years. The tournament is held in the heart of Hamburg at the Rothenbaum Tennis Center, which features a retractable roof stadium seating 13,200 spectators – making it the largest centre court in Germany. Reichel, Tournament Class Director of the WTA, is also exploring the options of bringing a women’s event back to the second-largest city in Germany.
Sandra Reichel becomes tournament director
Tournament director will be his daughter Sandra Reichel, the managing director of the Reichel Business Group. The 47-year-old has already gained many years of experience as a tournament director. She is currently involved in WTA tournaments in Linz, Austria (since 2000) and Nuremberg, Germany (since 2013). In the past, she was also responsible for other women’s events (Bad Gastein, Vienna, Barcelona). Furthermore, in 2005 and 2006, Sandra Reichel was the tournament director of the men’s tournament in Kitzbühel, which at the time was still part of the ATP 500 series. Reichel was also the head of organization of four Davis Cup ties in Austria (1998, 1999, 2007, 2017) and responsible for ATP Senior Tour Events (1997 and 1998).
“We are looking forward to this great challenge in Hamburg. We also have a lot of respect concerning this task,” Sandra Reichel said. “The tournament is the star – and together with the city, the DTB and the Club an der Alster we get together as a team!”
Ticket sales for the Hamburg Open 2019 should start in the second week of December.
Further read: Michael Stich’s final day in Hamburg
