HAMBURG, July 15, 2022
Shortly before the sign-in deadline for the WTA 250 event of the 2022 Hamburg European Open, tournament director Sandra Reichel scored a real coup. After the withdrawal of US-American Danielle Collins due to injury, World No. 2 Anett Kontaveit from Estonia accepted a wild card into the main draw of the first combined event in Hamburg since 1978. The 26-year-old, who is coached by German Torben Beltz, will be the top seed at the prestigious Rothenbaum Tennis Tournament.
“I’m really excited that I will have the great opportunity to take part in the Hamburg European Open. Now I’m looking forward to getting to know this wonderful city and playing in a unique and beautiful stadium. I took a short break after Wimbledon and now I’m really motivated for the second half of the season and especially for my time in Hamburg,” explains Kontaveit.
We are excited to announce that @anett_kontaveit is joining this year’s 〽️ field!#hamburgopen #wtatour #kontaveit #hamburgactivecity #hamburg pic.twitter.com/P7KJAQfkSz
— Hamburg European Open 〽️ (@hamburgopen) July 15, 2022
“After Danielle Collins informed us that she could not play, we only had a few hours to find an alternative. It’s a real sensation that it worked out and it will be an incredible win for our tournament and the Active City Hamburg. Anett Kontaveit has made an outstanding development in recent years and has successfully worked her way up to the second place in the WTA Rankings. I’m quite sure that tennis fans in Hamburg will warmly welcome her here, because she has an tremendously dynamic and attractive game and is also a really nice person,” tournament director Sandra Reichel said.
The Hamburg European Open will be an absolute home event for Kontaveit’s coach Torben Beltz, who worked with Angelique Kerber in the past. Beltz and Kontaveit started their partnership last month and under his guidance the Tallin native will try to refine her game. Kontaveit captured her sixth WTA Tour title in St. Petersburg earlier in the season and also stormed into the final in Doha, where she finished runner-up to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek. In 2021, Kontaveit played the best year of her career, winning four WTA Tour tournaments and cracking the Top 10 for the first time. She also made her debut at the WTA Finals in Mexico, where she lost to Garbine Muguruza in the championship match.
What’s still missing in Kontaveit’s career? A triumph on clay! She will do everything she can this week at the Hamburg European Open to change exactly that. Hamburg is looking forward to the World No. 2.
