Categories: Breaking NewsWTA

Berlin calling: Petkovic hails grass court venue

Andrea Petkovic has given the Berlin grass court venue for next month’s exhibition event a test drive, with the World No. 87 pronouncing herself more than satisfied with the layout.

The episode was filmed by TV as part of a feature as planning for the men’s and women’s event set for July 13-19 starts to fall into place.

With tennis paused until early August and the closed-down sport in chaos due to positive COVID-19 tests from players at Novak Djokovic’s ill-fated Balkan roadshow, the Berlin tournament will be on guard concerning its safety regulations.

Besides the grass of the Steffi Graf Stadium – which was to have been the scene of a new WTA pre-Wimbledon tournament this summer – the Berlin event will also comprise matches inside a hangar at the capital’s Tempelhof Airport.

“The stadium looks super cool with grass. If I let the space work for me, then it’s all good,” Petkovic said.

“With the prospect of finally being able to play competitive tennis in Berlin in mid-July after the long break, training is also really fun. 

“It’s a very special challenge to compete on grass and then switch to hardcourt inside the hanger.”

Joining her on court will be a pair of WTA Top 10 players in No. 5 Elina Svitolina and seventh-ranked Kiki Bertens; also along are double Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and Germany’s 2018 Wimbledon semi-finalist Julia Görges. 

“Berlin will show where I stand in comparison to the competition,” Petkovic said.,

The overall field will comprise six women and six men, with Australian Open finalist and ATP No. 3 Dominic Thiem plus seventh-ranked German, and Aussie Nick Kyrgios heading the field.

Teenaged Italian Jannik Sinner and 42-year-old retired former great Tommy Haas are representing either end of the sport’s age spectrum.

The no-fans event will begin on the grass and switch over to the hardcourt for the wrapup matches. Prize money is pegged at EUR 100,000 each for men and women.

Peter Rowe

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