Strong women in Stuttgart: seven players ranked amongst the world’s Top 10 will be in the draw for the 36th Porsche Tennis Grand Prix which will take place in the Porsche Arena from 20 to 28 April. Amongst those taking part are superstar Maria Sharapova from Russia and the members, led by Angelique Kerber, of Porsche Team Germany. At stake is prize money totalling 795,000 dollars. The main prize for the winner is a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet.
“We will treat our audience top level world class tennis once again this year,” said Tournament Director Markus Günthardt. He continued: “Grand Slam winners and WTA Champions will be here. It doesn’t come much better.”
Maria Sharapova will be returning to Stuttgart as the title-holder and No. 1 seed. The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, which in 2012 was again voted the world’s best tournament by the players on the WTA Tour, provided the Russian with the perfect preparation for the French Open last year: four weeks after her win in Stuttgart she then won the Grand Slam tournament in Roland Garros. Her opponent in the final in Paris was the Italian Sara Errani who is another Top 10 in the line-up in the Porsche Arena. They will joined by China’s Na Li, a French Open winner, the Czech Petra Kvitova, who was the Wimbledon champion and winner of the WTA Championships in Istanbul in 2011, Australian Samantha Stosur, a US Open champion, and the former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark.
Porsche Team Germany is also well represented. The fans’ hopes are pinned primarily on Angelique Kerber who broke into the world Top 5 during her fantastic season in 2012 when she won the WTA tournaments in Paris and Copenhagen and reached the Wimbledon semifinals. In Stuttgart, the German will be seeded No. 3. Teammates Sabine Lisicki and Andrea Petkovic plus Julia Görges, whose sensational performance at the 2011 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix won her the event, will be wanting to display their best tennis in front of the home fans. One player capable of causing a surprise is Mona Barthel: her recent win in Paris again proved that, on a good day, she can beat the world’s top players.
Positive headlines have also come recently from Germany’s up-and-coming youngsters in the Porsche Talent Team Germany squad: Annika Beck last year won the girls’ title at the French Open and this year reached the second round at the Australian Open before making her Fed Cup debut in Porsche Team Germany’s win against France. Dinah Pfizenmaier qualified for the main draw at the French Open and then celebrated her first ever win in a Grand Slam match. Antonia Lottner battled her way to the girls’ semifinals at the 2012 Grand Slam tournaments in Paris and New York. At the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, the hopeful talents will be aiming gain valuable experience for their future careers against the world’s best.
Before the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix starts in earnest, Porsche Team Germany’s players will be concentrating on winning promotion to World Group I. The home tie for Angelique Kerber and co on 20 and 21 April however is not the only highlight that tennis fans at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix can look forward to: a piece of tennis history will come alive in the Porsche Arena during the course of the Berenberg Bank Classics when Stefan Edberg and Goran Ivanisevic face each other in the duel of legends. The exhibition match on Centre Court will begin at 5.30 pm Monday 22 April and will be followed immediately afterwards by the presentation of the players.
Visitors to the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix can not only look forward to top level world class tennis. As always there are a lot of off-court activities and entertainment. In the attractive area for the general public, the Sport and Lifestyle Village, one can watch the stars practicing and get their autographs. On finals weekend it is also the venue for the first ever Wilson Porsche Mini Tennis Grand Prix for children. A shopping boulevard and a colourful mixture of sport and entertainment over the whole duration of the tournament will ensure that a day spent at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix will turn into an unforgettable family experience.
Tickets for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, which begins on 20 April with the qualifying tournament, can be booked by phone at Easy Ticket Service (+49 (0) 711 / 2 55 55 55 or via internet at www.easyticket.de.
