Coco Gauff has signed up to compete at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix as the American tennis star is set to kick off her clay season in Stuttgart for a third consecutive season, the tournament announced.
Gauff, who will celebrate her 20th birthday on March 13th, made her debut on the clay courts of Stuttgart in 2022 and also returned to the German WTA 500 tournament last year. A bit surprisingly, Gauff didn’t do really well in her first two tournament appearances as the world No. 3 lost to Daria Kasatkina in the 2022 Stuttgart first round before losing to Anastasia Potapova in the round-of-16 last year.
However, there is no doubt that having 2023 US Open champion Gauff signed up for the 2024 Stuttgart edition – which is scheduled to take place between April 15-21 – is a major move for the tournament organizers.
‟I am excited to kick off the clay court swing in Stuttgart. I have had a lot of success on the clay and I think Stuttgart provides the perfect week with great hospitality to start the European season. The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is still a tournament I can improve on and I am up for the challenge!” Gauff said in a statement.
Gauff set to be joined by Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Emma Raducanu
World No. 1 Swiatek, who won back-to-back Stuttgart titles in 2022 and 2023, is a Porsche ambassador and she is already confirmed for the 2024 Stuttgart edition. Sabalenka, who was runner-up in each of the last three Stuttgart editions, will also play at the tournament this year. Porsche ambassador and 2021 US Open champion Raducanu, as well as three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber, have also confirmed their participation.
‟First of all, she’s a player I love watching. And secondly, we’ll be hosting all four reigning Grand Slam champions,” Stuttgart tournament director Markus Gunthardt said.
Gauff will certainly enter the tournament among the top favorites for the title and it will be interesting to see if the American can prevent Swiatek from winning her third consecutive Stuttgart title.
