HAMBURG, April 28, 2026 (Media Release)
A Hamburg-based organising team will take over the renowned Mallorca Seniors event, known as the largest senior tennis tournament in the world. Björn Kroll, Tournament Director of the ATP Challenger and ITF women’s tournament in the Hanseatic city, and Sigrid Rinow, who also serves as President of the Hamburg Tennis Association (HTV), have acquired the licence for the tennis classic from its founder Helge Albrecht, who hails from Lower Saxony. After 30 years, the 79-year-old Albrecht wished to pass on his life’s work and began looking for a successor following the anniversary edition last October.
The ITF World Tennis Masters Tour event, held in the highest senior category MT1000, attracts more than 1,000 players from around 40 nations each year, competing in age categories ranging from 30 to 90, including numerous world champions and world number ones in their respective age groups. The tournament, held in Font de Sa Cala on the eastern coast of Mallorca, offers a total prize fund of €10,000. The 31st edition – the first under the direction of Kroll and Rinow – will take place from 27 September to 11 October 2026. The core team also includes a number of returning staff members as well as colleagues who regularly work at the professional tournaments at the Hamburg Rothenbaum and at the Challenger and ITF World Tennis Tour tournament at the Hamburg Tennis Association’s headquarters.
Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an
“We are delighted that Helge Albrecht has placed his trust in us. We want to carry on his life’s work and preserve the special charm of this tournament. I got to know and love this tournament as a player myself, and I am thrilled to now have the opportunity to organise it. We want to preserve the magic that makes this tournament so special: world-class senior tennis in a welcoming, feel-good setting,” says Sigrid Rinow. The 70-year-old from Hamburg has also been organising events at her home club, Spielvereinigung Blankenese, for many years, including the well-known Whitsun Tournament, which has long earned an excellent reputation well beyond the borders of northern Germany.
“The Mallorca Seniors is a very special brand in the senior tournament calendar, and we are looking forward to this challenge. Together with Sigrid and our experienced team, we not only want to uphold the high standards that Helge Albrecht has set, but also carefully evolve the event. We will do everything in our power to ensure that players continue to feel at home with us,” adds Björn Kroll. The 48-year-old from Hamburg works full-time as Competition Manager for the Hamburg Tennis Association and serves as Vice President Sports for the Tennis Association of Schleswig-Holstein. He has also been part of the leadership team of the Rothenbaum Tournament (ATP 2013–2023 / WTA since 2021) and the WTA 500 event in Linz (Austria) for many years, working under Tournament Director Sandra Reichel.
“After 30 wonderful years, the time has come to hand over responsibility. I am very happy that two such experienced and dedicated tournament organisers as Björn and Sigrid are taking over my passion project. They bring not only their many years of experience in tournament organisation, but also a genuine love of tennis and of Mallorca. I am convinced that the tournament has a wonderful future in their hands and will continue to grow,” says Helge Albrecht.
Rinow and Kroll visited Font de Sa Cala twice last year for preliminary discussions and planning meetings. Kroll also brings a background in tourism studies to the role. Much of what Helge Albrecht has built over the years, the two intend to continue – including the close partnerships with the Federació de Tennis de les Illes Balears and the tournament hotel, the Fergus Club Font de Sa Cala Beach. For more information, please click here.
