History of Hamburg Open in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: May 18, 2026

The Hamburg Open is an annual tennis tournament in Hamburg, Germany, featuring professional players from the ATP and WTA Tours. It is recognized as the fifth oldest tennis tournament globally, highlighting its long-standing history within the sport.

1901: German Championships in Bad Homburg

In 1901, the German Championships were held in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe.

1902: Men's Doubles Event Added

In 1902, a men's doubles event was added to the tournament.

1924: Permanent Move to Am Rothenbaum

In 1924, the tournament permanently moved to the current location in Am Rothenbaum.

1971: Joined Grand Prix Tour

In 1971, the tournament joined the Grand Prix Tour.

1978: German Open Finals

This section contains information regarding finals of the German Open that was held concurrently with the men's event up to and including 1978.

1979: WTA Event Moved to West Berlin

In 1979, the WTA event was moved to West Berlin, separating it from the men's tournament.

1982: New WTA Hamburg Tournament Established

In 1982, a new WTA Hamburg tournament was established, three years after the separation of the men's and women's German Open, and was held in Hittfield.

1982: First Women's Event

In 1982, the first women's event was held separately in Hittfeld.

1982: Casino Cup Name

In 1982, the tournament was known as the Casino Cup.

1982: WTA Hamburg Finals

This section contains information of finals for WTA Hamburg from 1982.

1983: WTA Hamburg Continues in Hittfield

In 1983, the WTA Hamburg tournament continued to be held in Hittfield.

1983: Fila Europa Cup Name

In 1983, the tournament was known as the Fila Europa Cup.

1983: Women's Event Held in Hittfeld

In 1983, the women's event continued to be held separately in Hittfeld.

1987: Steffi Graf Wins WTA Hamburg

In 1987, Steffi Graf began her streak of six consecutive wins at WTA Hamburg.

1987: WTA Hamburg Returns to Am Rothenbaum

In 1987, the WTA Hamburg tournament returned to Am Rothenbaum in September, with Steffi Graf winning the tournament.

1987: Citizen Cup Name

In 1987, the tournament was known as the Citizen Cup.

1987: Women's Event Resumes

In 1987, the women's event resumed and was held through to 2002.

1989: End of Grand Prix Tour inclusion

In 1989, the tournament's inclusion in the Grand Prix Tour ended.

1990: Tournament Promoted to Tier II Status

In 1990, the WTA Hamburg tournament was promoted to Tier II status, which it maintained until 2002.

1990: ATP Masters Series Event

In 1990, with the creation of the ATP Tour, the tournament was classed as an ATP Masters Series event.

1992: Steffi Graf's Sixth Consecutive Win

In 1992, Steffi Graf completed her streak of six consecutive wins at WTA Hamburg.

April 30, 1993: Monica Seles Stabbing Incident

On April 30, 1993, Monica Seles, the then-world No.1, was stabbed during a match by a disorderly local tennis fan at WTA Hamburg.

1995: Citizen Cup Sponsorship Ends

The Citizen Cup sponsorship ended in 1995.

1996: Rexona Cup Name

In 1996, the tournament was known as the Rexona Cup.

1998: Intersport Damen Grand Prix Name

In 1998, the tournament was known as the Intersport Damen Grand Prix.

1999: Betty Barclay Cup Name

In 1999, the tournament was known as the Betty Barclay Cup.

2002: Tournament Discontinued

In 2002, the WTA Hamburg tournament was discontinued.

2002: End of Initial WTA Event Run

In 2002, the initial run of the WTA event came to an end.

2002: Betty Barclay Cup Name

In 2002, the tournament was known as the Betty Barclay Cup.

2002: WTA Hamburg Finals

This section contains information of finals for WTA Hamburg up to 2002.

2003: No Tournaments Held

In 2003, no tournaments were held in Hamburg.

2007: Format Change to Best-of-Three Sets

In 2007, the tournament reverted to a best-of-three sets final, like other non-Grand Slam events.

2007: Lawsuit Against ATP

In 2007, tournament officials sued the ATP to stop the downgrade.

2008: US Jury Decision

In 2008, a US jury decided that the downgrade to ATP 500 did not constitute a breach of monopoly laws.

2009: Downgraded to ATP Tour 500

In 2009, the tournament was downgraded to an ATP Tour 500 event.

2009: Tournament Date Shift

Starting with the 2009 tournament, the Hamburg Open was held in July instead of May.

2010: Appeal Rejected

In 2010, after a court-ordered mediation, the tournament saw its appeal to the verdict rejected.

2019: Tournament Logo Change

Since 2019, the tournament logo changed every year, using the trajectory of the ball in the championship point in the previous year's tournament.

2020: No Tournaments Held

In 2020, no tournaments were held in Hamburg.

2021: Hamburg Returns to WTA Calendar

In 2021, Hamburg returned to the WTA calendar after securing a license in the 250 series from the Baltic Open that was previously held in Jūrmala, Latvia.