New artistic photo project portrays the power women of tennis

The legendary Martina Navratilova joins Petra Kvitova and the Porsche Brand Ambassadors Angelique Kerber and Julia Görges in the series of stunning portraits, which was first shown at the Porsche-supported WTA tournament in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Fans can also view them online at www.porsche-tennis.de/court-supremes.

Captured by the Prague-based Leitmeritz, the sportswomen who feature share many things in common: sporting success and a perpetual desire for perfection, as well as a special relationship with Porsche, in many cases. Navratilova holds the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix record, with six titles to her name, while Kerber, Görges and Kvitova also star in the long-standing Stuttgart tournament’s roll of honour

“The way in which Radka Leitmeritz presents these power women of tennis reflects many of the reasons why Porsche has been a committed partner of women’s tennis since 1978,” says Patrick Eble, Marketing Director of Porsche Central and Eastern Europe. “Her passion and attention to detail correlate to the core of the Porsche brand. We’re looking forward to the way the project develops and showing the world these inspiring photos.”

Leitmeritz has made her name internationally, with work for titles such as Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar. Her Court Supremes project aims to present a different view of some of the tennis world’s most successful women players, capturing their sheer strength while conveying their femininity. The collection features intimate portraits and unusual still lives and tennis fan Leitmeritz describes the court not just as a place to compete, but as a stage, catwalk and launchpad. “I don’t take any typical match photos. My aim is to share the strengths and elegance of the players with others, as a constant balance between performance and femininity,” she says.

The Court Supremes project began when play was paused by the pandemic in 2020, and is an ongoing partnership between Porsche and Leitmeritz. Other players to feature so far include Aryna Sabalenka, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sakkari, Barbora Strycova, Marketa Vondrousova, Yulia Putintseva, Karolina Muchova, Iga Swiatek, Elina Svitolina and Petra Kvitova – the winner of the 2019 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

Porsche in tennis

Porsche has been sponsoring the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix ever since 1978 and has also been the organiser since 2002. The tournament in Stuttgart’s Porsche Arena was voted by the players as their favourite event in its category once again in 2019. Within the scope of its global partnership with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Porsche is also the title partner of the “Porsche Race to Shenzhen”, the official qualifying ranking for the Shiseido WTA Finals. The Stuttgart-based sports car manufacturer is also the exclusive automotive partner of the WTA, the season-ending WTA Finals, and this year of the WTA tournaments in Lyon (France), St. Petersburg (Russia), Berlin and Bad Homburg (Germany), Cluj-Napoca (Romania) and Cincinnati (USA). As a premium partner of the “Deutsche Tennis Bund” (DTB – German Tennis Association), the company supports Porsche Team Germany in the Billie Jean King Cup (formerly the Fed Cup) and fosters up-and-coming players in the Porsche Talent Team and the Porsche Junior Team. Angelique Kerber, Julia Görges and Maria Sharapova give Porsche a face in tennis as Brand Ambassadors.