Hamburg: In 2022 men and women will serve at the same time
Grand Slam feeling at Rothenbaum! The Hamburg European Open will take place next year as a "combined event". That means: men and women will serve parallel in the Hanseatic city from July 16 to 24, 2022. The last time this happened in the history of the clay court classic was 1978.
by PM
last edit: Nov 19, 2021, 08:00 pm
“I am extremely happy that we managed to do this together with our partners. For me it is a dream come true! For me, a combined tournament is the ultimate product for tennis fans, ”said tournament director Sandra Reichel. The Hamburg European Open is now in illustrious company in the tournament landscape! There are only five other "combined events" in Europe: Wimbledon, the French Open, the two Masters tournaments in Rome and Madrid and Eastbourne (England). Advance ticket sales begin on November 26, 2021.
For this year, Sandra Reichel and organizer Peter-Michael Reichel, her father, managed to acquire a 250 WTA tournament license and thus bring professional tennis back to Rothenbaum after 19 years of absence. This year's edition of the women's event, which Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse won in the final against tournament ambassador Andrea Petkovic, took place in July "back-to-back" one week before the ATP tournament in the 500 category. There the Spaniard Pablo Carreño Busta triumphed. Now the next upgrade of the Hamburg European Open will take place in parallel.
Vilas and Jausovic winners at the last combined event
Andrea Gaudenzi, Chairman of the men's professional tennis organization ATP, said: “Strong men's and women's tennis is something that really sets our sport apart! Presenting both together on the same stage improves the combined storytelling of the two tours throughout the season. This is an exciting moment for the Hamburg European Open. The fans will no doubt look forward to seeing this historic tournament develop in 2022. "
Steve Simon, Chairman and CEO of the women's professional tennis organization WTA, emphasized: "I was already very pleased that women's tennis returned to Hamburg for the first time since 2002 and that the rich history of this event will be continued, which was already enjoyed by champions like Venus Williams, Martina Hingis and Kim Clijsters was won. I have no doubt that the combined tournament with the ATP in 2022 will be a great spectacle in the beautiful city of Hamburg. "
When men and women last competed in parallel at Rothenbaum in 1978, the Argentine Guillermo Vilas and Mima Jausovic from what was then Yugoslavia won the titles.