“That the players have decided to play the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix so early is a fantastic show of their commitment to our tournament and an indication of the trust they have in us,” said Markus Günthardt. “It shows just how popular the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is amongst the players and the high status it enjoys on the worldwide WTA Tour.”

Russian Maria Sharapova, the three-time winner of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix from 2012 to 2014 and this year’s French Open champion, will be joined in Stuttgart by two other former world No. 1s in last year’s runner-up Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) and Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark). Also in the line-up will be Wimbledon champion and Fed Cup winner Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic), French Open finalist Simona Halep (Romania) – the year’s most improved player – Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) and naturally Angelique Kerber, Porsche Team Germany’s No. 1.

“Such a superb field is only otherwise seen at Grand Slam tournaments,” said Markus Günthardt who added, “We’re proud the players love coming to us and we’ll continue to do everything to make them feel happy in Stuttgart and to enable them to play their best tennis.”

The long-standing Stuttgart tournament will take place in the Porsche Arena from 18 to 26 April.