BERLIN, November 22, 2019 (Press Release)
In exactly seven months the first winner of the Grass Court Championships Berlin will be crowned! After Angelique Kerber, who has celebrated one of her greatest victories in 2018 on the “holy” lawn in Wimbledon, Julia Görges has also committed to play at the WTA Premier event at the LTTC Rot-Weiß Berlin.
Thus, Germany’s current two best tennis players will participate in this grass court highlight in Berlin from 13-21 June 2020. “Tournaments in Germany are always very special – and playing on grass in Berlin is even more special. Just like in the past, Berlin will once again be one of the highlights on the women’s tour. That’s why I am really hyped to participate next year,” emphasizes Görges, who reached the semifinals in Wimbledon last year, showing her great skills on grass.
Barbara Rittner, the future tournament director of the Grass Court Championships, is also excited because of Berlin’s WTA comeback: “It’s fantastic to be back in Berlin and to know that there will again be a WTA tournament from 2020 going forward. I have so many great memories which motivate me greatly for my new task,” Rittner says emphatically.
„We at the All England Club are committed to playing our part in a strong and successful grass court season in order to ensure that players have the best opportunities to compete and practice on grass in the lead up to The Championships. We are delighted to be supporting this exciting new WTA tournament at this historic club and in this great city, and we congratulate our partners Octagon and e|motion and all those working to establish what we believe will be a truly first-class event from 2020 and in the future. Thank you for your hospitality and we wish the tournament every success,” comments Ian Hewitt, Vice Chairman All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, on the close cooperation between Wimbledon and Berlin.
Das Saatgut im Steffi-Graf-Stadion ist gestreut und jetzt heißt es nur noch viel Pflege und Geduld für einen perfekten Rasenplatz. #gccberlin #tennis #wta 🎾 pic.twitter.com/zCwdhrXGDj
— Grass Court Championships Berlin (@GCCBerlin) November 11, 2019
“I want to use this opportunity to welcome Berlin and the LTTC Rot-Weiß back on the WTA Tour. My special gratitude goes to all the responsible authorities of the city of Berlin, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, e|motion sports and Octagon for their great support and long-time vision for the tournament. Women’s tennis in Germany is in a strong position. The WTA is convinced that this new tournament in Berlin is a strong accent,” says Fabrizio Sestini, Director of Tournament Relations Europe WTA, stressing the importance of the Grass Court Championships Berlin.
“The tennis club LTTC Rot-Weiß and we, the board, are very pleased to have achieved – in cooperation with Wimbledon and e|motion sports, to welcome the world’s best tennis players to the Grass Court Championships at the Gottfried-von-Cramm-Weg an der Hundekehle. The stadium, which is bearing the name of Steffi Graf and where she has won nine times, will finally offer world class women’s tennis again,” says Dietrich Wolter, president of the LTTC Rot-Weiß, welcoming the WTA comeback in Berlin.
“The tennis club ‘Rot-Weiß’ can be proud, to once again being an international tennis club – as it is its tradition and is even written down in the founding document of the club. Thus, we close the gap, which has been there since 2008 when our traditional tournament – the women’s German Open – was hosted for the last time. The sport city Berlin, as well as the tennis crazy and knowledgeable Berlin fans have been waiting many years for another first-class tournament,” Wolter continues.
“Berlin has been a highly regarded tournament location from 1979 to 2008 with the German Open. We are very pleased to return to Germany’s capital after a 12-year break with the most prestigious women’s tennis event, thanks to the support of the WTA, Wimbledon and Octagon, and having Chancellor Angela Merkel as the patron of the event. With today’s official groundbreaking the intensive phase for the preparation of the Grass Court Championships kicks off. I also want to thank the Berlin Senate, the LTTC Rot-Weiß Berlin with President Dietrich Wolter, sporting director Markus Zoecke and the club members, who have all supported this project,” says organizer Edwin Weindorfer.
