World number one Iga Swiatek makes her Berlin debut!
Iga Swiatek is the best that women's tennis has to offer today. The Polish world number one is the benchmark and has already won three tournaments this year. And now the 22-year-old right-hander is making her Berlin debut. Swiatek will lead the world-class field that will play for the title at the Steffi Graf Stadium from June 15 - 23.
“We have a field of starters that is normally only found at Grand Slam tournaments,” said tournament director Barbara Rittner at the press conference in the Mall of Berlin in the center of the German capital on Wednesday.
So Iga Swiatek, four-time Grand Slam winner with three titles at the French Open (2020, 2022, 2023) and one success at the US Open (2022), will have to face outstanding competition in Berlin. As things stand, it is likely that the entire top 10 will be competing. Nine of the top 10 players have entered so far!
Reigning Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka will be there, as will Coco Gauff, who won the 2023 US Open. Angelique Kerber, the 2018 Wimbledon winner, and Japan's superstar Naomi Osaka will also be playing in the Steffi Graf Stadium.Swiatek was WTA Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023 and has already won the title in Doha, Indian Wells and Madrid in 2024. Now she finally wants her first success on grass in Berlin.“Practically all the top players will be here. The images of tennis in Berlin will go around the world,” said a delighted Edwin Weindorfer, CEO and founder of tournament organizer e|motion Group, about the enormous appeal the tournament has developed in WTA circles and among tennis fans worldwide. Weindorfer therefore took the opportunity to ask Berlin's political leaders for more support: “Our tournament is one of the biggest women's sporting events in Germany. That's why I'm appealing to the decision-makers in the sports metropolis of Berlin. We want a long-term perspective.”Barbara Rittner is also hoping for a bright future for the tournament in Berlin and a constructive exchange with Berlin's politicians: “I would like to see a little more equality in terms of promotion and appreciation for women's sport here. We have one of the best international WTA tournaments in the world here.”
Ticket sales are going correspondingly well and are now already above last year's level.
It is already clear that Iga Swiatek will start the tournament on Wednesday. A large number of Polish fans are expected to attend. Bartosz Wojsznis, CEO of presenting partner ecotrans Group, says: “The signing of Iga Swiatek is a dream come true for me.”With countless Polish fans behind her, will Iga Swiatek also fulfill her dream of her first tournament triumph on grass in Berlin?