Steffi Graf takes over patronage at the WTA tournament in Berlin
Steffi Graf has achieved pretty much everything imaginable in her active career. 22 Grand Slam victories, a total of 377 weeks at position 1 in the world rankings, and she also achieved the Golden Slam. She triumphed nine times at the tournament in Berlin. This is exactly where she will take over the patronage this year. The tournament will take place from June 11th to 19th. As part of this report, Steffi Graf was interviewed about this decision.
by Dennis Heineman
last edit:
Mar 08, 2022, 07:21 am
At the beginning of the interview, of course, there is also the question of why Steffi Graf decided to take this step, as she is otherwise not very much in the public eye. Graf: "I often think back to the many beautiful moments I was able to experience in Berlin. The tournament deserves attention and recognition. I know how passionately Barbara Rittner, in her roles as Tournament Director and Head of Women's Tennis in the German Tennis Association, has been working for many years to better position tennis in Germany. Germany needs top tournaments for that. Here in Berlin, many employees and volunteers are committed to making this possible. With the switch to grass and thus as a preparatory tournament for Wimbledon, a very special atmosphere is created. The facility is beautiful and the tournament will be a lot of fun for everyone.”
Graf is following in famous footsteps – last year Angela Merkel took over the patronage, which of course honors Graf. When asked how much she learned about German tennis from America - because that's where she lives with Andre Agassi and her children - Graf admits that she tends to follow women's tennis from afar. Her main focus is on her foundation "Children for tomorrow", with which she has been helping disadvantaged children all over the world since 1998.
Click here for the complete interview on the tournament website