After an eleven-year absence, tennis was supposed to return to Berlin this June, as the Premier-level Bett1 Open was added to the WTA schedule in 2020. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic forced all tournaments since March to be suspended, including the new grass-court event in Germany, Berlin will welcome top tennis players after all, as part of the Bett1 Aces tournament set to take place from July 13th to July 19th.
World No.5 Elina Svitolina, No.7 Kiki Bertens, No.38 Julia Goerges and No.87 Andrea Petkovic have been confirmed for the event so far and two more wildcards will join them in the draw. Tournament director Barbara Rittner has her sights set on Angelique Kerber to possibly take up one of the two remaining spots.
When it comes to men, the roster includes Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios and Jannik Sinner, while two more ATP players will be announced at a later date.
Sneak peek of what to expect from the @bett1aces airport location: https://t.co/vkLYzCqraE
— Jimmie48 Photography ???? (@JJlovesTennis) May 29, 2020
What’s interesting about Bett1 Aces is that it will be played on two surfaces: grass at Steffi Graf Stadium and hardcourt inside the Tempelhof Airport hangar. The total prize money will be $200,000.
Just like all tournaments in the times of coronavirus, there will be no spectators on site, but there will be full TV coverage. Since our photographer Jimmie48 is from Germany, he plans to deliver us photos from this unique tennis event.
