Summer Grass Court Season About To Expand

Written by: Staff on 29th March 2013

Summer Grass Court Season About To Expand |

The planned three weeks gap between the end of the French Open and beginning of Wimbledon, which comes into force in 2015, created the possibility for an enlarged grass court season and Stuttgart’s Mercedes Cup is the first established tournament to announce a change of court surface to win a new spot in the ATP World Tour calendar.

The German event, played on clay since its inception in 1978 and currently contested in the week immediately after Wimbledon, will switch to grass in two years.

The ATP World Tour’s board of directors last night confirmed the application by the Stuttgart tournament to change date and surface had been ratified. The Stuttgart organizers have agreed their new grass courts will be built in close cooperation with Wimbledon expertise and supervised by grass court experts from the All England Club.

Brad Drewett, the ATP World Tour Executive Chairman and President announced: “They presented an extremely thorough application and we have full confidence that they will deliver a high-level ATP grass court event in the lead up to Wimbledon.”

The Mercedes Cup will now figure alongside the established German grass-court event the Gerry Weber Open at Halle as well as England’s AEGON Championships at Queen’s Club and AEGON International at Eastbourne. Holland’s TopShelf Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Championships at Newport, Rhode Island, will all figure in the grass court season around Wimbledon but there is likely to be at least one more event announced.

Edwin Weindorfer, Tournament Director of the Mercedes Cup said: “I would like to thank the ATP and its Board of Directors for their trust and commitment to award Stuttgart with a grass court tournament starting in 2015. We have worked very hard on this and we are convinced that our investments in the new and permanent grass courts and infrastructure will be well rewarded.

“Our ultimate goal is to provide the best players in the world perfect grass court playing conditions to take home the winner‘s Trophy of the Mercedes Cup ahead of The Championships at Wimbledon.”

Although Germany could monopolize the buildup to Wimbledon, with two lucrative events, the All England Club has announced their support of the Stuttgart plans.

Chief Executive Richard Lewis, said: “The three-week gap will create a longer grass court season between the French Open and Wimbledon, allowing the players more time to recover from the demands of playing at the French Open and then to prepare for The Championships.

“We are delighted to welcome the Mercedes Cup as a very important first step in building this exciting new extension to the grass court game. It is a highly respected tournament with a fine history.”

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: All England Club, Atp, French Open, grass court tennis, Sports, Stuttgart’s Mercedes Cup, Tennis News, Wimbledon