tennisnet: Mr. Günthardt, the 44th edition of the Porsche Grand Prix has one of the best starting fields in its history. Unfortunately, you cannot greet any spectators. How frustrating is that for the tournament director?

Markus Günthardt: I actually left the frustration behind me. As far as the audience numbers are concerned, we hadn't had much illusions lately. In the years as director of many tournaments I have learned one thing anyway: You never have a finished product in front of you, you are always in a dynamic movement, right up to the last moment. This means that you take a sober look at what is happening and act in a solution-oriented manner. Anything else would destroy you.

tennisnet: Were there any doubts as to whether the tournament would take place under the current conditions, i.e. without fans?

Günthardt: We received the signal early on from Porsche as the organizer that the tournament should take place without spectators if necessary. That made a lot of planning easier for us. We are of course better prepared for the situation now, unlike in 2020, when the pandemic caught us off guard as organizers, as a tennis tour in general. We also have important experience from other competitions that have been incorporated into our strategy. We just want to make the most of the situation now and we urgently hope that next year there will be a lot more normality again. The proximity of our tournament hotel to the Porsche Arena also offers the platform to create a safe environment for the players and their teams.

tennisnet: You are providing tennis fans with many additional offers this year via social media. What exactly?

Günthardt: We also see an opportunity in the crisis. Namely the stronger entry into the digital world. And then I just have to look at my own children and their media consumption to see that we have to put a lot more weight on it. If the kids watch TV at all, they at least have their cell phones in hand, they look at YouTube, Instagram or Tiktok. We want to target these younger target groups more strongly with funny, original offers. But we will also offer something like a tournament TV, where you can look behind the scenes, be your own director, and actively switch yourself into different camera perspectives. We also stream live and freely accessible all individual matches with our own German-speaking commentator on the tournament website at porsche-tennis.com. And we will also start an initiative where fans can apply to comment on games. I am looking forward to the response.

tennisnet: The Australian Open had to invest many millions of dollars in the hygiene concept, it tore a big hole in the budget. How is it in Stuttgart?

Günthardt: We are of course much smaller than a Grand Slam tournament with its huge operation. It is more the organizational effort that is really massive. The regular test regime, the transformation of the tournament hotel into an isolated sphere, the famous bubble. The cleaning and disinfection measures, the division of the many assistants into different groups, who should meet as little as possible and who have different accesses in the arena. With us these are the categories gold, silver and bronze, specifically: Gold shouldn't meet silver or bronze, not even in catering or anywhere else. Each individual bears a high level of responsibility for the whole, but has also been trained and prepared for this challenge more intensively than ever before.

tennisnet: Many players recently talked about their problems with living in the bubble, about motivational difficulties.

Günthardt: I can understand it. Many players have been traveling from bubble to bubble for months, seeing nothing but tournament facilities and hotels. It's a psychological burden. That's why we want to offer as much entertainment and activities as possible in the hotel and also create distraction from tennis. Of course you can say. They earn good money and are still privileged. But it is still not easy for these young people.

tennisnet: Do you see a connection with quite a lot of tournament cancellations recently?

Günthardt: It's obvious. Some who can afford it say after three weeks of tournaments with bubble life: Now I'll just take a break. But most of them cannot afford it, they have to play through to make ends meet. And there are also those who have to stay in rhythm and lose their shape in pauses. As organizers, we can only do one thing in this difficult situation: offer the best possible framework conditions and still deliver a bit of the typical feel-good factor for which Stuttgart is known.

tennisnet: Which player were you particularly looking forward to this year?

Günthardt: Of course, I think of Ashleigh Barty, number one in the world. It has never been to Stuttgart and is now celebrating its premiere. Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open winner, is also making her debut. These are new names, new faces here that I'm looking forward to. But I don't have a favorite player now, I'm thrilled to see what a strong field we can bring up year after year, even with previous champions like Petra Kvitova, Karolina Pliskova or Angelique Kerber. In terms of the cast, we have matches in the second round that could be Grand Slam finals.

tennisnet: In the past, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix was also spoiled by strong performances by German players. Now, however, the focus is more on a large gap behind the slowly retiring golden generation.

Günthardt : I would have to lie if I said. It makes no difference whether we have successful German players or not. You already need strong national players, in the best case also these local hero stories like with Angie Kerber or Laura Siegemund in recent years. Otherwise we will need patience until young Germans move forward again. There will be a dry spell, that is becoming apparent. But in the history of tournaments we have always managed to put a successful overall product on the stage with a world-class field - regardless of individual players.

Here the single tableau in Stuttgart

parena

Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart: players, prize money, draw, TV