Not only the best ladies of the tennis world served up this week in Stuttgart – also the best kids of the U8 age group from Baden and Württemberg played for a Porsche.
By Florian Goosmann from Stuttgart
I wonder if they’ve ever had this many spectators. There was a lot going on in the Sport- und Lifestyle-Village on Sunday! The view was also ingenious: where the training court was still set up between the exhibitors until Thursday, was converted to Friday. Four MIni Courts for the kids, two hard courts, Stuttgart sand and (artificial) grass – four Grand Slam tournaments in Stuttgart on one course.
“Between January and April there were 32 qualifying tournaments in Baden and Württemberg. The tournament winners have qualified for the Porsche Mini Tennis Grand Prix,” explained project manager and “tournament director” Dirk Hägele. By the way, the Porsche Mini Tennis Grand Prix went into its sixth round this year!
The concept in Stuttgart: group matches on Friday for the girls and on Saturday for the boys, quarter finals and semi-finals as well as the finals on Sunday. The highlight: Every match was played on all surfaces, so after 10 minutes the court was changed and the match continued.
Another highlight: the free coaching hour of Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Raquel Atawo. The later winners of the double competition of the “real” Porsche Tennis Grand Prix dropped by and gave tips!
Matching the main tournament there was also a Porsche for the winners, albeit one number smaller and electric. If the kids carry on like this, they may be playing for the big model in ten years’ time!