WTA Hamburg: Andrea Petkovic becomes tournament ambassador
Andrea Petkovic is the new tournament ambassador for the Hamburg European Open. The former tennis world number ninth was also confirmed as the first participant in the new women's tournament in Hamburg on Wednesday.
by PM
last edit: May 26, 2021, 11:38 am
In the women's tournament week this year (July 7th to 11th), the 33-year-old will primarily be there as a player. During the subsequent men's tournament (July 12th to 18th), she will already be fully performing her role as "Tournament Ambassador". From 2022 on, she will also take on the role of ambassador for the WTA event on Rothenbaum.
“I'm looking forward to this new job. The strongest tournaments are mixed tournaments in which women and men compete side by side. Germany as a tennis location needs such a tournament, ”said Petkovic, who gave a virtual press conference together with tournament director Sandra Reichel. “It is very important to me to keep tennis alive in Germany, and if at some point it is no longer possible as a player, then I always wanted to make my contribution in other ways. It's great that Sandra gives me this chance, ”added the six-time WTA tournament winner. Should she not automatically qualify for the main draw in Hamburg through her world ranking position, she would receive a wildcard.
Next, the German Fed Cup player will serve at the French Open starting on May 30th. There she celebrated her best result in a Grand Slam tournament in 2014 when she made it to the semi-finals. The Darmstadt resident with a second residence in New York has already built several pillars for herself after her active career: She moderates the “ZDF sports report”, and her debut novel “Between Fame and Honor Lies the Night” (Kiepenheuer & Witsch) was instantly won a bestseller.
First women's tournament in Hamburg since 2020
“Andrea was my absolute dream candidate. We have known each other for many years; she won her first career title at our tournament in Bad Gastein in 2009, ”said Sandra Reichel. She emphasized: “Andrea is a very special, polyglot personality who enjoys great respect in the whole tennis world - far beyond the borders of Germany. And both with the fans, the tour colleagues and the tournament organizers. I am very happy that we were able to win them over to the Hamburg European Open. "
As the tournament ambassador of the classic clay court at Rothenbaum, Petkovic will, for example, take part in draws and meet & greets with sponsors, but she will also be represented behind the scenes at the daily ATP meetings regarding the game schedule. "I would also like important input from Andrea on how we can develop our tournament further," said Reichel.
The last time there was a women's tournament in Hamburg was in 2002, and thanks to a newly acquired license, the WTA Tour is now celebrating its comeback in the Hanseatic city 19 years later. The Hamburg European Open is the only contiguous women's and men's tournament in Germany. The WTA event belongs to the 250 category, the ATP event belongs to the 500 series.