Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: Numerous top stars and an emotional tournament experience for fans
The starting shot for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart will be given on Saturday. The fans can look forward to absolute world class tennis in front of the screens.
by Press release
last edit: Apr 16, 2021, 07:11 pm
The Porsche Arena is ready for a superlative tennis week: seven players from the top 10 in the world rankings will be playing at the 44th edition of the traditional Stuttgart tournament, which begins with qualification on Saturday at 10 a.m. There are also a total of six Grand Slam winners at the start. The winner of the final on April 25th will receive a Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo as the main prize. Here are the most important facts and figures about the event, which was once again recognized as the most popular tournament in its category worldwide at the last female player poll.
Great importance for Porsche AG
“The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix has a long and proven tradition. The tournament offers women's tennis an important sporting stage. And it's a great figurehead for Porsche and the Stuttgart region - with global appeal. It is important to us to live up to our social responsibility and hold the tournament even in times of the pandemic. At the same time, we are delighted that so many top stars will serve. A nice vote of confidence for everyone involved, ”says Oliver Blume, CEO of Porsche AG.
World elite in the Porsche Arena
The starting list is headed by Ashleigh Barty, the current number 1 in the world. As the winner of the “Porsche Race to Shenzhen” in 2019, the Australian also won the prestigious WTA finals in the Chinese high-tech metropolis, and previously her first Grand Slam title at the French Open in Paris. She is also in Stuttgart for the first time, as is the American Sofia Kenin, who won the Australian Open as the newcomer of 2020. The two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep from Romania also belongs to the narrow circle of favorites. Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) is returning to Stuttgart as the defending champion.
Three Germans in the main field, talents in the qualification
In addition to Porsche brand ambassador Angelique Kerber, who won in Stuttgart in 2015 and 2016, two other players from Porsche Team Germany are in the main field: Laura Siegemund (winner 2017) and Andrea Petkovic receive a wildcard. Talents from the junior teams of the German Tennis Federation can get a taste of the great WTA air in the qualification: Nastasja Schunk, Alexandra Vecic and Katharina Gerlach from the Porsche Talent Team want to use their chance of a main field ticket there, as do the current German champion Noma Noha Akugue and Julia Middendorf, who are promoted in the Porsche Junior Team.
Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo for the winner
The winner of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix traditionally receives a Porsche sports car as the main prize. "The most beautiful trophy of the WTA Tour" (Angelique Kerber) is powered purely electrically for the first time this year: With the Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo, a real all-rounder among electric sports cars, the stars can look forward to a very special and electrifying winning vehicle Enjoy driving experiences.
"We want to give people back a piece of normality"
“Making it possible for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix to be held even in these difficult times is very important to us. We want to spread confidence and give people back a piece of normality, ”said Dr. Sebastian Rudolph, Head of Public Relations, Press, Sustainability and Politics at Porsche AG, at the premiere of the new streaming format "Advantage 911 - The Porsche Tennis Talk" in the Porsche Museum. “As a company, we live up to our social responsibility in many areas. In tennis, we support the Porsche Talent Team and the Porsche Junior Team of the German Tennis Association, in which the best young German players are promoted in professional structures and accompanied on their way to a professional career. "
Multimedia tournament experience for fans
Although the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix this year has to be held without spectators in the Porsche Arena, the fans are given a very extensive and emotional tournament experience. The multimedia offer tailored for you ranges from the first live broadcast of all individual matches on the tournament website www.porsche-tennis.com to a variety of interactive offers. For example, you can choose from different camera positions for the live streams. A bigger stage will also be prepared for the draw for the main field this time. It will take place on the Center Court on qualifying Sunday at 2 p.m. and will also be broadcast live on the tournament website. The fans can look forward to the real and virtual participation of current top stars such as Angelique Kerber and Ashleigh Barty as well as the former tournament winners Julia Görges and Maria Sharapova. SWR, Eurosport, n-tv and the streaming platform DAZN will broadcast the tournament on German television.
“Aces for Charity”: Porsche doubles the amount donated
The “Aces for Charity” campaign has been an integral part of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix for many years. For every ace struck in the course of the tournament, Porsche normally donates 100 euros to good causes - but this year, given the special situation, the company has doubled the amount to 200 euros. The money goes to the tournament's charity partners, the Agapedia Foundation and the Baden-Württemberg State Sports Association. They want additional sports and exercise offers for children and adolescents in order to mitigate the effects of the pandemic for them. At the last Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2019, the players hit 212 aces, and Porsche rounded up the donation amount to 30,000 euros.
Porsche in tennis
Porsche has been sponsoring the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix since 1978, and has also been the organizer since 2002. The tournament in the Stuttgart Porsche Arena was once again voted the world's most popular in its category by the players in 2019. As part of its global partnership with the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), Porsche is among other things title partner of the “Porsche Race to Shenzhen”, the official qualification ranking for the Shiseido WTA Finals. The Stuttgart sports car manufacturer is also the exclusive automotive partner of the WTA and the WTA Finals and this year sponsor of the WTA tournaments in Lyon and St. Petersburg. As a premium partner of the German Tennis Association (DTB), the company supports the Porsche Team Germany in the Billie Jean King Cup (formerly Fed Cup) and is involved in promoting young talent with the Porsche Talent Team and the Porsche Junior Team. As brand ambassadors, Angelique Kerber, Julia Görges and Maria Sharapova give Porsche a face in tennis.