Markus Günthardt talks about…
…the aim of attracting the world’s best women players to Stuttgart every year:
“We’ve raised the bar very high in the past so I’m rather happy that we’ve achieved our aims once again this year. Every tournament would love to have such a field. In as far as the quality of the players and the matches are concerned, I compare the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix with the second week of a Grand Slam. It’s no exaggeration.”
…what the interest of so many top stars says about the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix:
“The fact that they love coming here firstly shows me that the whole package is spot on. As a WTA 500 tournament, we can’t offer the highest prize money and the most ranking points – but they still come to us. It’s a fantastic statement by which they say they feel at home here and are happy. You can’t wish for anything more.”
…the fact that a greater number of US players have come here this year:
“For us, it’s normally not so easy to attract players from the United States to come to our tournament. It’s simply down to them not wanting to travel to Europe any earlier than absolutely necessary after the tournaments in the States. This time we’re lucky in that they are already in Europe due to the Billie Jean King Cup. It’s therefore logical that they are starting their preparations for Roland Garros by playing their first clay court tournament in Stuttgart. For a tournament, it’s always good to have great American players. Having three top stars from the States in Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro plus Danielle Collins, who is always good for a surprise, is a stroke of luck.”
…the fascination of the winner’s car for the players:
“It’s big. All the top stars can naturally buy a Porsche, but winning such a car and therefore rewarding oneself for one’s performance is something else. It’s something the players tell me over and over again. The winner’s car is a part of the tradition here. Tracy Austin, the winner of the first Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Filderstadt back in 1978, received a Porsche as the main prize. This year the winner can look forward to a Porsche Macan Turbo.”
…the importance of an attractive programme of sides events for the success of the tournament:
“The most important thing here is obviously the tennis. However, in my view we have to offer spectators more than just brilliant players and exciting matches. Our aim is that they spend the whole day here in the arena. We can’t expect people to stay seated for ten or 12 hours. Therefore, we have to create the conditions whereby they have an entertaining time for the duration of their stay in the arena. In this respect, we’ve set up so many things in the past and have turned the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix into an attractive event for the whole family – with a highly diverse programme of entertainment and high-class gastronomy. We’ve laid an excellent foundation.”
…his opinion as the tournament director about the Easter weekend and the day off on Good Friday:
“Sports events are not permitted on Good Friday in Baden-Württemberg due to the by-laws governing religious holidays. It’s not something we can change, so we accept it, and we’ll play the final on Easter Monday. Even though it’s a day for the family, the good ticket sales indicate that many families have decided to spend the day in the Porsche Arena. It’s very pleasing for us.”
…the role the German participants can play:
“As we didn’t have to hold back any Top 20 wild cards this year, we’ve been able to give the four main draw wild cards to German players. We and our spectators are looking forward to watching Eva Lys, Laura Siegemund, Tatjana Maria and Jule Niemeier. For the tournament generally and our spectators, it’s very important that German players are competing. It’s therefore all the more pleasing for us that Ella Seidel has made it into the main draw.”
…which Germans he thinks can go the furthest:
“The local hero and 2017 winner Laura Siegemund will be highly motivated. She feels very much at home in the Porsche Arena and, if she gets off to a good start, she can go a long way. The same goes for Eva Lys who proved that she is on the right track at the Australian Open. I’m excited to see how they do.”
Porsche im Tennis
Das Aushängeschild des Engagements von Porsche im weltweiten Damentennis ist der Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Das Stuttgarter Traditionsturnier, das 1978 erstmals in Filderstadt ausgetragen wurde und seit 2006 in der Stuttgarter Porsche-Arena stattfindet, steht für Tradition und Innovation, genau wie die Marke Porsche. Als treuester Sponsor des internationalen Damentennis begleitet Porsche die weltweit älteste Indoor-Tennis-Veranstaltung der WTA von Anfang an. Darüber hinaus unterstützt Porsche seit Jahren das Damentennis international. Iga Swiatek und Maria Sakkari sind in ihren Heimatländern „Freunde der Marke“. Porsche ist seit 2012 Premiumpartner des Deutschen Tennis Bundes (DTB) und engagiert sich mit dem Porsche Talent Team sowie dem Porsche Junior Team in der Nachwuchsförderung.
