Interview with Anke Huber, Operating Tournament Director

“The new generation is slowly closing the gaps”

Stuttgart. Giving German players the chance to compete at the world class event in the Porsche Arena by handing them wildcards is a tradition at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. For Anker Huber, the Operating Tournament Director, it is a given: “As a tournament, we also have a responsibility for German players and young talents.”

We spoke to Anke Huber about…

…her job of enticing the top stars to the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix every year:
“We don’t have to convince the players that have already been here about the quality of our tournament. They know exactly what they can expect. They know their way around and whenever they need something, they know who they can turn to. For them it’s like coming back home. They simply have a feel-good feeling here, something they say to us over and over again. For us, it’s naturally the nicest compliment going.”

…about the popularity of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix amongst the players:
“The feel-good factor plays a big part. For many players, Stuttgart is a fixture when planning the season. It gives us a certain amount of pride. It‘s also so nice seeing them feeling at home here and keep coming back. And we try to anticipate the players’ every wish.”

…about the quality of the main draw field in 2023:
“From a sporting point of view, all the signs indicate that, at the start of the main draw on Monday, we will get to watch tennis of the highest class in the Porsche Arena. With Iga Swiatek in the line-up, we have the title holder and world No. 1. I’m also delighted that Coco Gauff is back here. And then there’s naturally Aryna Sabalenka. She is in the form of her life and fully deserved her win at the Australian Open. I’m eager to see how she gets on here after twice finishing a runner-up.”

…about supporting German players and up-and-coming youngsters with wildcards:
“It’s always nice having so many top stars here. But as a tournament in Germany, we also have a responsibility towards German juniors. It’s a responsibility we’re very pleased to meet. To get to the top, talented youngsters also have to play the big tournaments. By giving them qualifying wildcards, or even main draw ones, we give them the chance to gain important experience for their later careers against the world’s best players.”

…about the strength in depth in women’s tennis and what it means for the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix:
“Things are so unbelievably exciting at the top. There’s an enormous strength in depth. Though Iga Swiatek heads the world rankings by a mile, there is a lot of toing and froing behind her. There has almost always been a different winner at this year’s important tournaments. It’s nice that, after a slow start to the season, Iga found her form again when winning in Doha. Before triumphing at the Australian Open, Aryna Sabalenka also won in Adelaide. And Coco Gauff also got off to a winning start to the season at the Auckland tournament. I’m eager to see them playing in the Porsche Arena.”

…her job as Operating Tournament Director and how it has changed over the years:
“I’ve got a wonderful job as the Operating Tournament Director, one that is still giving me so much fun after all these years. I’m a kind of interface between the tournament, players and the WTA. Much has changed over the course of time in women’s tennis, something that also applies to my job. Everything has become even more professional and new communication channels have been added. The players have far more on their plates and have to do numerous additional off-court duties, like media work or being available for fans and sponsors. And social media has also become important. It means it’s become more challenging for me. It’s still a dream job, not least because it keeps producing new challenges.”

Further information as well as film and photo material and our Media Guide can be found in the Porsche Newsroom: newsroom.porsche.de.

The latest information about the worldwide Porsche involvement in tennis is available on the @PorscheTennis Twitter channel and the @porschetennis Instagram channel.

Markus Rothermel

Communications, Sustainability and Politics

Spokesperson Sports Communications

+49 (0) 170 / 911 0779

markus.rothermel@porsche.de

Text

Language

English (Porsche AG)

Archive No.

T23_0166

Release date

2023/04/18