Stuttgart Begins Process Of Switching From Clay To Grass

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 17th September 2013

French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros

Stuttgart Begins Process Of Switching From Clay To Grass

epa03732207 The racket of Tommy Haas of Germany as returns during his quarter final match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 05 June 2013. EPA/YOAN VALAT |

The hilltop Weissenhof Club in Stuttgart is going about the switch to grass from clay in 2015 with typical German efficiency, with work already begun on the construction of a new grass court in the heartland of clay tennis.

The Mercedes Cup won the bidding for a new place on revised ATP calendar as the season expands by inserting an extra week in between the end of the French Open and the start on grass of Wimbledon in two years. The three-week gap is enough to provide the makings of a mini-circuit on grass in the run-up to the major.

Bulldozers and workers have been on the job for weeks in Germany’s car capital, headquarters of Mercedes, a major tournament sponsor for decades. As far as company thinking goes, becoming a more elite grass event will only increase the profile of the competition – and by default – the carmaker’s brand.

The conversion to grass is being supervised by grounds men from the All England Club, with construction work commencing immediately after the end of Wimbledon last July. The Weissenhof is currently building a new Grandstand court to serve as the grass showpiece. To break it in, an exhibition will be held next summer at the event which had traditionally been played in July on clay and after the end of Wimbledon. Four other courts on the ground will be converted from clay to grass to bring the facility up to ATP standard for the new surface.

After approval last March by the ATP board. the 2015 Stuttgart edition will be held the week after Roland Garros. Stuttgart got the approval for grass after dueling with rival Hamburg, which dropped out of the competition

Hamburg, formerly a Masters 1000 which was demoted several years ago in a brutal downsizing and then lost a court case against the ATP, gave up the fight and appears content to maintain its place in July as a 500 series on clay.

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