The WTA tournament MSC Hamburg Ladies Open is getting reinforcements! Parallel to the final weekend of the professional women's tennis tournament at the Hamburg Rothenbaum Tennis Stadium, the Hamburg Wheelchair Open, an international women's wheelchair tennis tournament, will celebrate its premiere from 23 to 26 July 2026.
As a Premier Tier event, the tournament is not only one of the highest-level international wheelchair tennis events, but it is also the biggest women's wheelchair tennis tournament in Germany. With two international top sporting events taking place at the same time, Rothenbaum is once again a true „Combined Event“. The central stage for the tournament, which will feature twelve players in singles and eight teams in doubles, is Matchcourt M1 at the Rothenbaum tennis facility.
For years, the organising body, MatchMaker Sports GmbH, has demonstrated how to truly embrace inclusion at its events. This year, however, the organisers are breaking new ground with the Hamburg Wheelchair Open. „The integration of the Hamburg Wheelchair Open into our WTA tournament, the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open, creates a grand stage for international top-level sport, lived inclusion, and societal visibility. Wheelchair tennis is one of the leading Paralympic sports and stands worldwide for great competition, fairness, and inspiration. With this ‘Combined Event“, we are giving wheelchair tennis the visibility this sport deserves. We would like to thank all our partners who are supporting us in this venture," explains Sandra Reichel, who serves as Tournament Director for both the MSC Hamburg Ladies Open and the Hamburg Wheelchair Open.
„The Hamburg Wheelchair Open are a strong signal for an inclusive and diverse sports city. The fact that wheelchair tennis and professional tennis are taking place together on one stage at Rothenbaum is a living example of what our Active City strategy stands for: more participation, more visibility, and more opportunities for everyone to experience and participate in sport. I am very pleased that Hamburg is taking a pioneering role here,“ comments Hamburg's Interior and Sports Senator Andy Grote.
„As a German wheelchair tennis player, I'm particularly looking forward to this new highlight on the international calendar. The integration of wheelchair tennis into WTA tournaments is the right message for inclusion and helps us to create visibility for women in parasports. I know that we female athletes can expect optimal conditions in Hamburg, and the fans can look forward to world-class wheelchair tennis!“ says Britta Wend, who recently crowned herself German Champion in wheelchair tennis for the first time, full of anticipation for the tournament. Niklas Höfken, the sporting director of the Hamburg Wheelchair Open, happily agrees: „Presenting wheelchair tennis athletes on an equal footing with WTA pros in such a legendary location as Hamburg's Rothenbaum offers wheelchair tennis in Germany the stage it deserves, but unfortunately receives far too rarely. For me, this is more than just a major tournament – it's a strong signal for inclusion that can resonate throughout the entire German tennis community!“
„For us, inclusion means making tennis accessible to everyone and understanding diversity as a strength. The Hamburg Wheelchair Open send a strong signal for this. When wheelchair and women's tennis are jointly showcased at the Rothenbaum, it creates visibility and genuine participation. “Projects exactly like this enable us to showcase the openness and diversity of our sport externally and inspire many people in Tennis Deutschland to get involved," added Veronika Rücker, Executive Director of the German Tennis Federation.