The Operating Tournament Director of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and her team do not take the easy way out. “We go to great lengths to decide who we want to support with a wild card,” says Anke Huber. “As a tournament in Germany, we naturally want to do justice to the responsibility we have for German women’s tennis.”
Thanks to being given wild cards, Tatjana Maria and Laura Siegemund will therefore be in the main draw of the 47th Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. The 2022 Wimbledon semifinalist and the winner of the 2017 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix are currently the most successful German women players. Just before on 12 and 13 April, they will be in Billie Jean King Cup action for Porsche Team Germany against Brazil. The tie in São Paulo will decide which team goes forward to the finals of the most important team competition in women’s tennis.
“They therefore don’t have the chance to get into the main draw here via qualifying. It’s why we’re supporting them with a wild card,” says Anke Huber. “One of our concerns is that Porsche Team Germany can contest the difficult away match with the best players.”
Top 20 wild cards for Angelique Kerber and Emma Raducanu
The Porsche Brand Ambassadors and Grand Slam champions Angelique Kerber and Emma Raducanu have received Top 20 wild cards that are only awarded in accordance with criteria laid down by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). Angelique Kerber is the most successful German player in the past ten years and has won the Grand Slam titles in Melbourne, at Wimbledon and in New York. The Briton Emma Raducanu sensationally won the 2021 US Open as a qualifier and is considered to be one of the most interesting players on the Tour.
Ella Seidel and Nastasja Schunk will contest the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix qualifying which traditionally has a very strong field. The two young Porsche Talent Team hopefuls have both been given a wild card. Ella Seidel qualified at January’s Australian Open for her first career Grand Slam main draw. Nastasja Schunk celebrated her biggest ever success when reaching the 2021 Wimbledon juniors final. She has also appeared for Porsche Team Germany in the Billie Jean King Cup. Should Ella Seidel gain direct entry, then Noma Noha Akugue, a fellow Porsche Talent Team member, will replace her.
“For us, it’s important that we give our up-and-coming players the chance to compete against the world’s best at our tournament and therefore improve further,” said Anke Huber. “We’ve always had good experiences with the policy in the past.”
Attractive show doubles is the first highlight on Monday
Right away at the start of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, visitors will enjoy a highlight made up of sport and entertainment. In a fun mixed tournament, stars from a variety of sports will compete against each other on the Porsche Arena’s Centre Court on Monday, 15 April at 5.00 pm. The tennis stars at the premiere of the new format will be the Porsche Brand Ambassador and Grand Slam winner Emma Raducanu and the former world class German player Andrea Petkovic. They will be joined by juniors from the German Tennis Association. Their doubles partners will be well-known professionals from VfB Stuttgart (football), MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg (basketball) and Bietigheim-Bissingen Steelers (ice hockey) – all partner clubs of the Porsche “Turbo for Talents” initiative. For years now, the sports car manufacturer has been supporting and promoting the coaching of young people at sports clubs in places where the company is located.
Ticket sales
Tickets for the 47th Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in the Porsche Arena from 13 to 21 April 2024 are available via the official www.porsche-tennis.com tournament website or at Easy Ticket Service – in Internet at www.easyticket.de or by calling +49 711 / 2 55 55 55. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are virtually sold-out. Together with its partner FILA, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix will raffle a surprise package among all those buying tickets over the Easter weekend from Friday, 29 March to Easter Monday on 1 April 2024.
Porsche in Tennis
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is the flagship of Porsche’s worldwide involvement in women’s tennis. First played in Filderstadt in 1978, the long-standing Stuttgart tournament has been held in the city’s Porsche Arena since 2006. It stands for tradition and innovation, as does the Porsche brand. As the most loyal sponsor of women’s international tennis, Porsche has accompanied the WTA’s oldest indoor event right from the start. Porsche has additionally been supporting international women’s tennis for years now. Together with its subsidiaries, the sports car manufacturer will to date therefore be the automotive partner of the WTA tournaments in Cluj-Napoca (Romania) and Bastad (Sweden). Angelique Kerber and Emma Raducanu give Porsche a face in tennis as Brand Ambassadors. Jule Niemeier, Maria Sakkari, Karolina Muchova, Anett Kontaveit and Iga Swiatek are additionally “Friends of the Brand” in their home countries. As a premium partner of the “Deutsche Tennis Bund” (DTB – German Tennis Association), the company has been supporting Porsche Team Germany in the Billie Jean King Cup since 2012 and fosters up-and-coming players in the Porsche Talent Team and the Porsche Junior Team.