The Porsche Arena is ready for a tennis week of superlatives: seven players ranked in the world Top 10 are in the line-up at the 44th edition of the long-standing Stuttgart tournament that began with qualifying on 17 April. A total of six grand slam winners will also be in the mix. The winner of the final on 25 April will receive a Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo as the main prize. Below are the most important facts and figures about the event the players once again voted as their favourite tournament in its category.
Hugely important for Porsche AG
“The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix has a long and seasoned tradition. The tournament serves as an important sporting stage for women’s tennis. It’s also a fantastic showpiece for Porsche and the Stuttgart region, and one with worldwide appeal. For us, it’s important we also meet our social responsibility in these pandemic times and hold the tournament. At the same time, we are delighted by the fact that so many top stars will be competing in the Porsche Arena. For everybody involved, it’s a wonderful sign of trust,” says Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG.
World’s elite in the Porsche Arena
The entry list is headed by Ashleigh Barty, the current world No.1. After claiming her first grand slam title at the French Open in Paris, the winner of the 2019 Porsche Race to Shenzhen went on to win the prestigious WTA Finals in the Chinese high-tech metropolis. She will be making her first appearance in Stuttgart as will the American Sofia Kenin, who, as the winner of the Australian Open, was 2020’s most improved player. The group of top favourites also includes the two-time grand slam champion Simona Halep from Romania. Title-holder Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) will also be back in Stuttgart.
Three Germans in the main draw, talented youngsters in qualifying
Joining the Porsche Brand Ambassador Angelique Kerber, the Stuttgart winner in 2015 and 2016, in the main draw are two other Porsche Team Germany players: Laura Siegemund (winner 2017) and Andrea Petkovic who have each been handed wild cards. Talented youngsters from the German Tennis Association’s U-23 and junior teams will also get a taste of the rarefied WTA air: In qualifying, the Porsche Talent Team’s Nastasja Schunk, Alexandra Vecic and Katharina Gerlach will be aiming to take their chance and secure a main draw ticket as will the reigning German champion Noma Noha Akugue and Julia Middendorf, who are both supported in the Porsche Junior Team.
Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo for the winner
The winner of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix traditionally receives a Porsche sports car as the main prize. “The nicest winner’s trophy on the WTA Tour” (Angelique Kerber) will have a purely electric drivetrain for the first time. With the premiered Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo at stake, the stars can look forward to a quite special winner’s car, and electrifying driving experiences.
“We want to give a degree of normality back to the people”
“Making the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix possible even in these difficult times is something that is dear to our hearts. We thus would like to spread a sense of confidence and give a degree of normality back to the people,” said Dr Sebastian Rudolph, Vice President Communications, Sustainability and Politics at Porsche AG at the premiere of the new streaming format “Advantage 911 – The Porsche Tennis Talk” in the Porsche Museum. “As a company, we meet our social responsibility in many areas. In tennis, we support the German Tennis Association’s Porsche Talent Team and Porsche Junior Team which foster the top up-and-coming German players within professional structures and accompany them on their way to a career as a professional tennis player.”
Multi-media tennis experience for fans
Though this year the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix has to be staged without spectators, one is providing the fans with a very intensive and emotional tournament experience. The customised range of multi-media services stretches from the first ever live transmission of every singles match on the tournament’s www.porsche-tennis.com website to a wide diversity of interactive services. For instance, the live stream can be watched from a variety of camera positions. The fans can look forward to the real and virtual participation of current top stars like Angelique Kerber and Ashleigh Barty as well as former tournament winners Julia Görges and Maria Sharapova. On German television, the tournament will be televised by the regional SWR channel, Eurosport and n-tv. It will also go out on the DAZN streaming platform.
2021 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: Simona Halep 
2021 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: Porsche Brand Ambassador Angelique Kerber 
2021 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: Sofia Kenin 
2021 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: Ashleigh Barty 
„Advantage 911 – The Porsche Tennis Talk“: Markus Günthardt (Tournament Director), Dr. Sebastian Rudolph (Vice President Communications, Sustainability and Politics at Porsche AG), Ruth Hofmann (presenter/l-r). On the screen: Porsche Brand Ambassador Angelique Kerber 
2021 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: Porsche Brand Ambassador Angelique Kerber 
2021 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix: Defending champion Petra Kvitova with Markus Günthardt (Tournament Director), Oliver Blume (Chairman of the Executive Board Porsche AG) and Anke Huber (Operating Tournament Director/l-r)
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