The Senate offers no assistance. - Could Berlin potentially forfeit its tennis event?
The Rasentennis-Turnier Berlin Ladies Open, the annual ladies tennis tournament in Berlin from June 17th to 23rd, held at LTTC Rot-Weiß am Hundekehle, may not exist anymore due to a lack of support from the Berlin Senate. This is the second time the event has been canceled since 2008.
Recently, organizer Edwin Weindorfer (59) and tournament director Barbara Rittner (51) met with Interior Senator Iris Spranger (61/SPD) to discuss the financial issues, but the meeting was unsuccessful leading to a potential no-show with Berlin may not supporting the event. Spranger had plans to speak with the Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (51/CDU) on Tuesday, but organizers have not received any information regarding the meeting until Friday evening. The desired support of 900,000 euros remained a dream.
Weindorfer previously indicated two weeks ago that "The city must participate. Only then can one talk about the future." If Berlin does not contribute to the 4.5 million euro costs, Weindorfer might consider moving the license to another city.
The disappearance of the Berlin Ladies Open would be bad news for Berlin, relating to its reputation as having the best player lineup with nine of the top ten players confirmed for this year's event, including former world number ones Angelique Kerber (36) and Naomi Osaka (26). Berlin has been a popular city for top players, along with Grand Slam tournaments, Masters, and the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
Weindorfer seeks 20% of the total costs from the city or state, seeking to help with the organization and cover one-fifth of the event’s cost. He's also willing to accept in-kind services such as equipment resources.
However, the offered services in return by the Interior Ministry, including consulting services, networking for tourism and marketing, a free rental space for a press conference, Spranger's sponsorship, and further promotional services, are not enough. Weindorfer is in a tough spot, seeking recognition and support from Berlin but having none.
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