WTA: Will the ladies soon be playing at Rothenbaum?

Peter Michael Reichel has been awarded the licence for the men’s tournament in Hamburg by the DTB.An extension to a combined event for both genders is being considered.

The attractiveness of many tennis tournaments depends on the availability of local heroes.The ATP tournament in Geneva, for example, thrives on the presence of Stan Wawrinka, who, unlike most of the other top stars, doesn’t take a break in the week before the French Open.At the same time, the ladies have been competing in the NÜRNBERGER Versicherungscup for several years now, and in the Franconian metropolis, historic events have already taken place: Eugenie Bouchard’s first and so far only tournament victory, for example.

Basically, it is probably easier to convince the ladies in front of one of the majors to check their playing form again.In the Grand Slam tournaments, good old WTA tradition is that only two sets of winnings are played, and rest days between matches provide the necessary regeneration possibilities.An event like the one in New Haven, where the cast is at its best every year, also profits from this.And this in the week before the US Open.

From a German-speaking point of view, however, the tournament in Nuremberg is of particular interest.Particularly because a few weeks ago, the German Tennis Federation awarded Peter Michael Reichel the licence for the men’s event at the Hamburg Rothenbaum, the German Open.But it’s deeply rooted in the WTA (“There’s no decision in the WTA that doesn’t bear my signature”) and is flirting with the idea of having both men and women on the Elbe play a big part in it.

“It is one of the most traditional tournaments,” said Reichel in an interview with the Salzburger Nachrichten on the fringes of the Upper Austrian Open in Linz last week,”but Hamburg has a difficult date in July due to the beginning of the US hard court tour.The location is still very valuable and we want to stay in Hamburg, if it is made possible for us.”

Daughter Sandra Reichel manages both Linz and Nuremberg as Tournament Director, so the know-how for a women’s tournament at Rothenbaum would be available “The German Tennis Federation and we would buy a license.If this is not possible, perhaps cooperate with the Nuremberg office as well,”continues Peter Michael Reichel.The Reichel family will also be in charge of clarifying how this cooperation with Nuremberg could look like.Especially since Germany has at least two horses with Angelique Kerber and Julia Görges, which can lead in every event.