With greetings from Wimbledon: Angelique Kerber opened Center Court in Bad Homburg
On the second weekend in July 2018, exactly two years ago, Angelique Kerber fulfilled her greatest sporting dream with her triumph in Wimbledon . 728 days later she experienced something memorable on her favorite surface: The 32-year-old officially opened the Center Court of the Bad Homburg Open on Saturday.
by PM
last edit: Jul 12, 2020, 11:00 am
"It was a special feeling. The great atmosphere in the Kurpark in general and this beautifully laid out lawn court in particular have increased the anticipation for the premiere next year, ”said Kerber, who acts as tournament ambassador for the WTA event.
The first edition of the Bad Homburg Open had to be postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. On Saturday, a breath of Wimbledon blew through the historic spa park in front of almost 100 guests, where the first tennis court on mainland Europe had been built in 1876.
Kerber / Shaker vs. Guth / Kohlmann - High DTB award
In an exhibition mixed on the “Spielbank Bad Homburg” Center Court, Kerber and Fed Cup team boss Rainer Schüttler, who comes from Korbach in northern Hesse, met the 17-year-old hope Mara Guth and Davis Cup team boss Michael Kohlmann.
Kerber and Schüttler used the "home advantage" and won the decisive match tie-break. Guth is one of the greatest German tennis talents and is at home in the Merzhausen district of Usingen.
# IMG2 #
Kerber also received a great honor on this Saturday, which was so special for her: The three-time Grand Slam winner received the honorary membership of the German Tennis Federation (DTB) for her outstanding contributions to German tennis. “With her great talent, but also with her will to perform and her training discipline, Angelique Kerber is an absolute role model for the youth. Their successes show the young players that you can make it to the top if you commit yourself to something with body and soul, ”said Ulrich Klaus, President DTB, in his laudation.
Due to the corona regulations, the event was not open to the public at the TC Bad Homburg facility and the number of participants was strictly limited. In addition to Klaus, the guests of honor included the Mayor of Bad Homburg Alexander Hetjes, the President of the host TC Bad Homburg, Dr. Uwe Eyles, the president of the Homburg TG, Ralph Gotta, the president of the Hessian Tennis Association (HTV), Kai Burkhardt, the managing director of Francois-Blanc-Spielbank GmbH, Lutz Schenkel, and the spa director Bad Homburg, Holger Reuter.
Kerber presented Generali donation check - Wimbledon greetings
Following the show match, Kerber, as a sponsor of UNICEF, together with her sponsor Generali, presented a donation check in the amount of 25,000 euros to the children's aid organization UNICEF.
In addition, a special message reached the spa town - with the sender: Church Road. "We are delighted that today the lawn courts were officially opened, which the team in Bad Homburg, under the guidance of our greenkeepers, created with such care," said Wimbledon Chairman Ian Hewitt and wished "a nice celebration". Even the grass seeds for the three tournament courses at the TC Bad Homburg facility and the three training courses at the Homburg TG had been imported from the island.
Werner Meuer (parish of St. Marien Bad Homburg-Friedrichsdorf) and Hans-Joachim Wach (Church of the Redeemer Bad Homburg) donated church blessings to the Center Court.
Petkovic: "The best gift that could have been given to me"
Tournament director Dr. After the opening event, Aljoscha Thron spoke of a "very emotional and nice day for everyone involved". The enthusiasm for the project is unbroken. "The whole team is already working with great enthusiasm to bring the fascination of lawn tennis and a touch of Wimbledon to life in the Kurpark next summer."
Throne was also able to make another positive announcement: in addition to the German number one Kerber and the former Wimbledon semi-finalist Julia Görges, Andrea Petkovic will also compete at the Bad Homburg Open next summer.
“When I heard that a WTA tournament was coming to Hesse, I was thrilled. At the end of my career, being able to play at home again at home is the best gift that could have been given to me, ”explained Petkovic, who lives in Darmstadt, around 50 kilometers away. The former number nine in the world rankings, which has also convinced in its role as a presenter of the ZDF “Sportreportage” in recent months, is considered a favorite with the public.
Secure tickets for 2021
In the coming days, tickets for the Bad Homburg Open will be available again, which will be held next year from June 20 to 26, 2021 and will be themed "Tennis is coming home". Tickets can be purchased online via the tournament homepage www.badhomburg-open.de or via the hotline (0180 - 60 50 400). Already purchased tickets for the Bad Homburg Open 2020 will remain valid for the tournament next summer.