KERBER TO INAUGURATE CENTRE COURT
A touch of Wimbledon at the Kurpark
Bad Homburg, 11 July 2020 – On the second weekend in July in 2018, exactly two years ago, Angelique Kerber fulfilled her biggest dream in sports by winning Wimbledon. 728 days later, she again experienced something memorable on her favourite surface. On Saturday, the 32-year old officially inaugurated the Centre Court of the Bad Homburg Open.
”This was definitely a very special feeling. In general, this great atmosphere at the Kurpark and, in particular, this beautifully laid out grass court have increased the anticipation for next year’s premiere even more,” said Kerber, who functions as the tournament ambassador for the WTA event.
The first edition of the Bad Homburg Open had to be postponed to 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. However, on Saturday, a hint of Wimbledon blew through the history-rich Kurpark where the first tennis court on the European continent was built in 1876.
Kerber/Schüttler vs. Guth/Kohlmann – A number of honorary guests
Kerber and the Fed Cup Team Captain Rainer Schüttler, who originates from Hesse, encountered the 17-year old upcoming hopeful Mara Guth and Davis Cup Team Captain Michael Kohlmann in an exhibition mixed on the “Spielbank Bad Homburg“ Centre Court. Guth is one of the biggest German tennis talents and comes from Merzhausen, a part of the city of Usingen.
Kerber was also honoured on this Saturday which was so special for her: Due to her outstanding contributions to German tennis, she was awarded the honorary membership of the German Tennis Federation (DTB).
Due to the Corona regulations, the event at the site of the TC Bad Homburg was not open to the public and the number of participants was strictly limited. The mayor of Bad Homburg, Alexander Hetjes, as well as the President of the German Tennis Federation (DTB), Ulrich Klaus, the President of the hosting club TC Bad Homburg, Dr. Uwe
Eyles, the President of the Homburg TG, Ralph Gotta, as well as the President of the Hessian Tennis Federation (HTV), Kai Burkhardt were among the guests of honour.
Kerber hands over Generali donation cheque – Greetings from Wimbledon
After the show match, the three-time Grand Slam winner Kerber as UNICEF ambassador, together with her sponsor Generali, handed over a donation cheque in the amount of Euro 25,000 to the UNICEF Children’s Emergency Fund.
Furthermore, the spa town received a special message – sent by: Church Road. “The AELTC has supported the organisers of the Bad Homburg Open for many months as they prepared to host their inaugural event, originally scheduled for June this year in the lead up to The Championships, Wimbledon, until the coronavirus pandemic intervened. We are delighted that the grass courts which the team at Bad Homburg had been working so hard to carefully cultivate with the guidance from our Wimbledon groundstaff could be opened”, said Wimbledon-Chairman Ian Hewitt: ”We are delighted that the grass courts which the team at Bad Homburg had been working so hard to carefully cultivate with the guidance from our Wimbledon groundstaff could be opened.”
Even the grass seeds for the three tournament courts at the TC Bad Homburg site and the three practice courts at the Homburg TG site were imported from the island.
Petkovic: “The best gift I could have been given”
Tournament Director Dr. Aljoscha Thron also spoke of a “very emotional and beautiful day for all participants” after the opening event. The enthusiasm for the project is unabated. “The entire team is already working with great enthusiasm to make the fascination of grass court tennis and a hint of Wimbledon come alive at the Kurpark next summer.
Thron also made another encouraging announcement: Apart from the German number one Kerber and the former Wimbledon semi-finalist Julia Görges, Andrea Petkovic will also take part in the Bad Homburg Open next summer.
“When I heard that there will be a WTA tournament in Hessen, I was completely thrilled. To be able to play at home in front of my home crowd at the end of my career is the best gift that could have been given to me,” Petkovic, who comes from Darmstadt, which is about 50 kilometres away, explained. The former world number nine, who has also been convincing as presenter of the ZDF television programme “Sportreportage”, is considered a crowd favourite.
Tickets for the Bad Homburg Open 2021, which will take place from 20 to 26 June and under the motto of “TENNIS IS COMING HOME”, will be available within the next weeks. Tickets can be purchased online in cooperation with our partner Reservix on the tournament website www.badhomburg-open.de or via the hotline (0049 (0) 180 – 60 50 400). Tickets which have already been purchased for the Bad Homburg Open 2020 will remain valid for the tournament next summer.
