French Open finalist Dominic Thiem from Austria leads the main field at the German Open at the Rothenbaum in Hamburg (21 to 29 July).
The 24-year-old, number seven in the world, had only lost to Rafael Nadal (Spain) in the final in Paris on Sunday. Hamburg’s Alexander and Mischa Zverev are, as before, not at the start. After last year’s quarrels, tournament director Michael Stich (49) had not even tried to sign the brothers.
Philipp Kohlschreiber (Augsburg), Peter Gojowczyk (Munich) and Maximilian Marterer (Nuremberg) are Germans in the main field at the traditional sand court event, and Stich can also award three wildcards. Four players are currently in the top 20 of the world rankings.
“I am extremely satisfied with the field,” said Stich in Hamburg on Tuesday, and Thiem in particular is to become the driving force behind the tournament: “I am delighted that we have hired one of the best clay court players in the world. The Italian Marco Cecchinato, who surprisingly made it into the semi-finals against Thiem at the French Open, will also serve in Hamburg. “He caused a sensation in Paris,” said Stich.
For Stich, Wimbledon winner of 1991, it is the last German Open as tournament director for the time being. It is still open whether the event will also take place in Hamburg next year. The German Tennis Federation (DTB) no longer awarded the license for its flagship tournament; instead, the Austrian Peter-Michael Reichel was awarded the contract for an initial five-year period starting in 2019. The Legend Match takes place against John McEnroe (USA).