MUNICH, April 12, 2024
Blue sky, sunshine and temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius. Friday morning’s conditions were excellent at the MTTC Iphitos in Munich to kick off this year’s BMW Open.
Media representatives came together on Centre Court when the car for this year’s tournament champion was unveiled. Besides a prize money of €88,125 and 250 ATP Ranking points, the winner will also receive a brand new BMW i5 M60.
“I am always motivated to win but I haven’t thought about it when I came here. It will give me an extra motivation. I have never won a car at a tournament, so this would be my first,” said Felix Auger Aliassime, who will make his Munich debut this year, and attended the opening event.
FAA at BMW. #ATPTour #Munich pic.twitter.com/DpphzkXqhg
— Florian Heer (@Florian_Heer) April 12, 2024
“It’s always special to discover new places, a new tournament. I have been playing on tour for a few years now but it’s pretty rare to come to a new city. I am excited to play here at a real tennis club, which have members and good courts all year. That’s what I like. Tennis has a tradition.
“It’s a great line-up and it has always been. The past years I was watching from distance, this year I will be part of the players. The tour is always competitive and this week will be no difference. You have to play your best to deserve this car.”
Asked about his Munich expectations, Auger-Aliassime responded: “I always want to eat well, so I hope to find some good restaurants,” the 23-year-old Canadian smiled.
“Matches can be stressful. I want to take it easy, staying relaxed and enjoy the time with my team. I used to go to Barcelona every year. The field is very strong there. I thought playing an ATP 250 with less players in the draw would give me the opportunity to win some matches. But then I see the draw here and it’s also strong. So you have to be ready and compete well.”
Kick off for the @BMWOpen24 with Felix Auger-Aliassime on Centre Court. It’s his first time in Munich.
This year’s champion will receive the new BMW i5 M60.
“It’s an extra motivation. Everything’s in place for a great tournament, ” FAA said.#ATPTour #Munich 🍺 #BMWOpen pic.twitter.com/KU9LHGKpHb
— TennisTourTalk (@TennisTourTalk) April 12, 2024
This year’s field at the BMW Open include home favourites Alexander Zverev and Jan-Lennard Struff, as well as two-time defending champion Holger Rune of Denmark, Dominic Thiem from Austria and World No. 13 Taylor Fritz. The US-American received a late entry spot into the main draw after Italian Matteo Berrettini had pulled out of the clay-court event.
Sold-out tournament
For the first time in the history of the BMW Open, all nine days of competition have sold out completely before the start of the tournament. After tickets for both weekends and the quarterfinal Friday were sold out early, now there are no tickets available even for the first days of the main draw. Therefore, this year, additional grounds tickets for €29 will be available for sale from Monday to Thursday.
“We are proud of the development of the BMW Open and eagerly anticipate packed courts from the qualifying rounds and Round 1,” said Christian Okon, Managing Director of the organizer MMP Event.
“We have all the ingredients for a great tournament week here at MTTC Iphitos. I look forward to the many tennis fans and world-class tennis from day one,” added Fabian Tross, Board Member of the host and licensee MTTC Iphitos.
