Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: Osaka, Halep, Barty serve in Stuttgart
At the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2021 there will be another meeting of the absolute WTA world leaders: With Ashleigh Barty , Simona Halep and Naomi Osaka , the three leaders of the world rankings have announced their arrival.
by PM
last edit: Feb 24, 2021, 11:02 am
The best women players in the world will serve at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix from April 17th to 25th. The preliminary entry list is led by the top 3 in the WTA world rankings - number 1 Ashleigh Barty (Australia), number 2 and current Australian Open winner Naomi Osaka (Japan) and number 3 Simona Halep (Romania). There are also three players who have already won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic / 2019), Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic / 2018) and Porsche brand ambassador Angelique Kerber (2015, 2016). Other top stars will be Garbine Muguruza (Spain), Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) and Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) in the Porsche Arena.
"Stuttgart is a great opportunity for me to start the European clay court season," says Ashleigh Barty, 2019 winner of the Porsche Race to Shenzhen and the WTA finals. "I've heard a lot of positive things about this tournament and I'm really looking forward to being there for the first time."
Günthardt pleased with the field of participants
"Organizing an event like the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in these times is a great challenge for everyone involved," says tournament director Markus Günthardt. “But we are making every effort to enable the tournament to be held and not only to restore a piece of normality to the tennis fans. The pledges of so many top stars at this early stage, including the number 1 and the newly crowned Australian Open winner, reinforce our optimism. This shows the great esteem our tournament enjoys around the world. I am sure that there will be more world class players by the official registration deadline four weeks before the tournament. "
Preparations for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, which was once again voted the world's most popular tournament in its category in the last female player vote, are going according to plan. “I believe we have developed an excellent hygiene concept and are therefore well prepared to create safe conditions for everyone involved,” says Markus Günthardt. Whether the tournament will take place in front of spectators cannot yet be foreseen in view of the constantly changing requirements. To this end, you are in constant contact with the authorities and the WTA players' association.
With fans in the Porsche Arena?
Regardless of this, great efforts are made to be able to offer tennis fans a virtual, but still as real as possible tournament experience. "We attach great importance to letting fans around the world participate in our tournament as much as possible via television as well as digital and social platforms."
Even in times of the pandemic, the tournament director and his team are backed by Porsche as the organizer. On the contrary: "Porsche is fully behind the tournament and sees it as part of its social responsibility to allow this traditional event, which is popular around the world, to take place in these difficult times," says Markus Günthardt. “The players and fans feel this commitment to the sport and the people who love it. It is a great motivation for everyone involved. "