STUTTGART/WASHINGTON, April 24, 2023 (by Michael Dickens)
Looking back on the 46th edition of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, which ended Sunday in Stuttgart, Germany as World No. 1 Iga Swiatek successfully defending her title with a straight-set victory over No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka that earned her a shiny, brand-new Porsche sports car, there was plenty of positivity that spread throughout Porsche Arena.
While there was world-class tennis on center court, thanks to the match-up of the two top-ranked players on the WTA Tour, there was also an amazing atmosphere found inside the arena. According to tournament organizers, this year’s Porsche Tennis Grand Prix met all expectations.
Ladies and gentlemen: This year‘s championship point! 🔥#porschetennis #PTGP23 @iga_swiatek pic.twitter.com/0hSvQtMohz
— Porsche Tennis (@PorscheTennis) April 23, 2023
“We’re very happy and satisfied with this year’s Porsch Tennis Grand Prix,” tournament director Markus Günthardt said in a press conference Sunday before Switatek beat Sabalenka, 6-3, 6-4, in an hour and 50 minutes to win her second straight Stuttgart crown. “A total of 31,000 spectators came along to the Porsche Arena and they could see that we have used the past three years to further develop every aspect of the tournament. It was well received by the visitors.
“In addition to wanting to offer the spectators something special at the venue, we don’t want to forget the tennis fans in front of their screens. We have Eurosport as a classical partner and they televised two matches daily. We have the partner Tennis Channel that showed all the play, and two years ago, we, together with Porsche Tennis TV, began to build up our own stream on the tournament website. All in all, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix was television by the various platforms for a total of 110 hours. We accessed 43,000 people lone vi the Porsche stream, double last year’s figure. We’re therefore highly satisfied.”
Added Deniz Keskin, director of Brand Management and Partnerships for Porsche AG: “I’ve seen lots and lots of smiling faces in the arena, the atmosphere in the stands was excellent and the digital figures are equally positive. Things can always be improved, but we’re very satisfied with the week.”
What it is about today. 🏎️🏆#PorscheTennis #PTGP23 pic.twitter.com/8dAtOcp33G
— Porsche Tennis (@PorscheTennis) April 23, 2023
On the tennis side of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, the WTA 500-level event that traditionally kicks off the European spring clay season featured eight of the current Top-10 players. The singles main draw also included the two top-ranked German players, Jule Niemeier and Tatjana Maria, and Porsche Brand ambassador Emma Raducanu was a popular attraction. The doubles draw also featured defending champions Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs, who won their straight Stuttgart title.
“From a tennis point of view, we’ve enjoyed a super tournament,” said Anke Huber, operating tournament director. “We couldn’t have conjured up a better field. We had eight Top 10 players and 15 from the Top 20. Which tournament can say that? In the semifinals, we had three of the world’s top four players. That’s exceptionally strong. The way the tournament went was extremely exciting – nine matches went to three sets. You can see just how tight things are in women’s tennis.
“In general, the tournament week has shown us just how much the players like coming to Stuttgart. They all love playing on our Centre Court in the Porsche Arena. Many think it’s the most beautiful court on the Tour. There may be bigger ones but none is more beautiful where there’s such a fantastic atmosphere. And we’ve had lots of other positive feedback from the players.”
And with these moments of the day presented by @anydesk the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix comes to an end. Until next year! 👋#PorscheTennis #PTGP23 pic.twitter.com/h966VnKVa6
— Porsche Tennis (@PorscheTennis) April 23, 2023
Looking ahead, the future of the Porche Tennis Grand Prix is a bright one. According to Keskin, “Not only from a tennis point of view but also from a societal one, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is a top event in the region.
“As we all know, there are plans for building measures in conjunction with the Hanns-Martin-Schlegel-Halle. We are in continual discussions with the city and its “Veranstaltungsgesellschaft” event organization. We will closely examine the city’s final plans and then consider which effects they will have on the tournament organization. I would like to make one thing quite clear: The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix belongs to Stuttgart! We avow ourselves to the city and the region’s spectators.”
Porsche’s “Aces for Charity” campaign raises €120,000 for a good cause
The “Aces for Charity” campaign, a long-standing fixture of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, raised €120,000 for a good cause. To commemorate 75 years of Porsche sports cars and inspired by the Porsche 356 “Number 1” – the first sports car manufactured by the company – Porsche donated 356 euro for every service ace hit during the tournament.
A total of 253 aces were hit through the semifinals and Porsche rounded up the sum to €120,000. In an on-court ceremony, the money was divided up equally between the “Stiftung Agapedia” foundation, the “Landessportverband Baden-Württemberg” sports association and the “Ferry-Porsche-Stiftung” foundation. The cheques were presented by Albrecht Reimold, executive board member of Production and Logistics for Porsche AG.
Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic led the tournament field with 26 service aces in three matches.
253 aces were hit during this year’s Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – Porsche donates 356 euro for every ace! Through the Aces for Charity campaign, Porsche increases the donated amount to 120.000 euro for our charity partners @agapedia_de, LSVbw and the Ferry-Porsche-Stiftung. pic.twitter.com/J2AhGRYfNc
— Porsche Tennis (@PorscheTennis) April 23, 2023
Swiatek draws loyal fans from near and far
Throughout her week in Stuttgart, Iga Swiatek enjoyed much crowd support – not only from German fans but also many who came from Poland to see the World No. 1. During her final press conference, the Polish star was asked about the impact her fans had on her winning the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix title.
“I enjoy the vibe, and I hear them from when they are cheering on in the stadium, and it’s pretty amazing,” Swiatek said of a local fan club who attended all of her matches. “I’m just happy that, you know, they are into tennis and they like how we play and they are supporting.
“That’s one of my goals to actually like bring more kids to playing tennis, mostly in Poland. I didn’t know that I have that much influence in other countries. For sure, it’s something that inspires me as well. When I see those kids, I want to, you know, behave better, player better.”
On the Polish fans who attended Sunday’s final, Swiatek said: “I know that a lot of people came. It’s close and similar to, you know, the tournament in Ostrava. I’m also going to be playing actually in Warsaw this year, and there are going to be many opportunities. I’m happy people are traveling to all these places and supporting me, because you could feel today that like Polish people were the loudest ones, and it was fun to hear that and have that support.”
🔙 to 🔙 title for 1GA! 🏆#porschetennis #PTGP23 @iga_swiatek @WTA pic.twitter.com/ZVG66qZNYu
— Porsche Tennis (@PorscheTennis) April 23, 2023
