IGA SWIATEK IS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THE WIMBLEDON FLAIR: “A SPECIAL ATMOSPHERE”
Iga Swiatek stood on the balcony of the time-honored clubhouse of TC Bad Homburg and let her gaze roam over the Kurpark and the Spielbank Bad Homburg Centre Court. And the newly-crowned French Open winner liked what she saw. “There is a special atmosphere here and you can feel the Wimbledon flair. The grass courts are really very nice,” enthused Swiatek, who is extremely relaxed and
The world number one has been in the spa town since last Tuesday and has been practicing twice a day. She will play her opening match at the third edition of the Bad Homburg Open presented by Engel & Völkers on Monday (June 26) at 6 p.m. against last year’s Wimbledon semifinalist Tatjana Maria. There are still a few tickets available.
Iga Swiatek about…
…the special feature of the location in Bad Homburg’s Kurpark:
“There is a special atmosphere here and the Wimbledon flair can be felt. I walked from the hotel through the Kurpark to the venue. Everything is close together. There are nice restaurants and coffee shops. I try to find an oasis of peace at every tournament. Here you just have a lot of nature. The grass courts are really beautiful.”
…Tournament ambassador Angelique Kerber, who watched a bit of the French Open winner’s practice yesterday:
“Oh really? I’m going to ask her for some advice. Angie might have more time to talk a little bit now. She’s very friendly and open.”
…On whether the number one position is more of a burden or an impetus:
“Both. You have ups and downs in your career. But that’s also true for people in other professions. But winning gives me a lot of confidence and a feeling that I’m achieving my goals.“
…the biggest challenge on grass:
“When you’re successful at Roland Garros, you have less time to train for Wimbledon. I hope I can play several matches in Bad Homburg.”
…Her pastimes:
“When the tournament has started, I read a lot of books and sometimes watch TV. Since I had two training sessions here every day, there wasn’t much time for sightseeing. But maybe I’ll have a little more free time during the tournament.”
A pure summer festival atmosphere prevailed in the Kurpark right from the start of the tournament: in the freely accessible Baloise Park Village, young and old alike enjoyed the varied activities on Saturday. In the early evening, the promenade was officially opened by Dr. Jürg Schiltknecht, Chairman of the Board of Baloise, as well as Bad Homburg’s Lord Mayor Alexander Hetjes and Tournament Director Aljoscha Thron.
The Scottish singer-songwriter Tom Walker then provided a brilliant concert on the show stage and thrilled the large audience with hits such as “Leave a light on”.
“We will see perfect matches with a perfect atmosphere in perfect weather,” said Dr. Jürg Schiltknecht, looking forward to the tournament week, which will continue after the qualifying matches with the first main draw matches today, Sunday.
On Saturday, Mara Guth (6:7, 6:7 against Claire Liu) and Lena Papadakis (6:7, 6:3, 3:6 against Maryna Zanevska) missed the jump into the main draw on her 20th birthday. Last year’s Wimbledon semifinalist Tatjana Maria, Anna-Lena Friedsam and Sabine Lisicki are three German players in the main draw of the grass-court event. Maria will face top-seeded Swiatek in the match of the day at 6 p.m. Monday.
