3 tennis tournaments where the winner is awarded a car ft. Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
We see numerous ATP as well as WTA Tour events throughout the year on the tennis calendar. From Grand Slams to year-end championships to Masters and WTA 1000 competitions, all the tournaments carry a certain amount of prestige.
Hundreds of tennis players give their best to qualify for them by going through numerous qualifying rounds. However, only a few top stars manage to make it to the main draw.
Players compete on the tennis court with their hard-driven passion for the game and also for the handsome prize money offered by these events. The amount of prize money differs from tournament to tournament based on their importance and level.
Grand Slams, season-ending championships and Masters 1000/WTA 1000 events award hefty cash incentives. However, there are a few tournaments that offer other prestigious prizes as well -- a car, for instance.
So, without further ado, let's take a look at the 3 tournaments which award a car to the winner:
#1 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is a WTA 500 claycourt tournament that takes place in Stuttgart, Germany. The inaugural edition of the Stuttgart Open took place in 1978, when Tracy Austin defeated Betty Stove 6-3, 6-3 in the final.
Following a brilliant start in 1978, Austin defended her title for three consecutive seasons against legends such as Martina Navratilova. However, Navratilova later went on to become the most successful woman in the tournament’s history with 6 singles titles to her name.
Porsche has been the sponsor of the competition since the first edition. Moreover, in 2002, they managed to purchase the official tournament license from Dieter Fischer.
Hence, the winner of the Stuttgart Open gets a brand-new Porsche. The 2023 WTA Stuttgart Open women's singles came to an end on Sunday, April 23, with Iga Swiatek winning the tournament by beating Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
#2 BMW Open
The Bavarian International Tennis Championships, also known as the BMW Open by American Express, is an annual ATP tournament that takes place in MTTC Iphitos, Munich (Germany).
The tournament's first edition took place on the grass courts of the Münchner Tennis-und-Turnierclub (MTTC) Iphitos in 1900. The tournament became a mainstream competition in 1930.
In 1970, the BMW Open started offering prize money to winners. Last season's prize money in the men's singles event was €81,310. In addition to the handsome amount, the winner also gets a brand-new BMW car to go with it.
#3 BOSS Open
The Stuttgart Open, also known as the BOSS Open, was the Mercedes Cup until 2021. From 1978–2021, The ATP tournament was under the sponsorship of Mercedes-Benz. As a result, the winner of the tournament used to get a brand-new car along with the prize money.
However, the competition has now been rebranded as the BOSS Open following their new sponsorship deal with HUGO BOSS, which was signed in 2022. The winner of the ATP singles event gets €105,290, while the triumphing pair in the men's doubles gets €36,580. The last player to win a car was Marin Cilic as he defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final of the 2021 edition.