Top-class international tennis tournament in the capital city

The linkyard Bern Open will take place from 27 June to 3 July. linkyard Bern Openorganised by the Tennis Sporting Club Bern will take place in Bern. The tournament director, Matthias Jauslin, explains why this is a premiere and what to expect from the event.

You organise the linkyard Bern Open, what makes this competition unique?

The linkyard Bern Open is the first and only international ITF tennis tournament on city of Bern soil. Although there is the ATP Challenger in Biel and the ATP Tournament in Gstaad, with the ITF Future we deliberately offer young Swiss and international junior players the opportunity to gain their first experience at the lowest level of professional tennis.

How did you come up with the idea of organising a tournament of this size?

Switzerland is very well represented in the world tennis rankings with Hingis, Federer, Wawrinka, Bencic, Teichmann, Golubic, Vögele Laaksonen and other top 200 players, and it is easy to forget the young, up-and-coming tennis talents. This is what we want to show with the tournament in Bern. Even at this level, tennis is very exciting and there is an opportunity to experience this top tennis live and up close in the capital.

Who will participate in the linkyard Bern Open and what are the requirements for participation?

Registration for the players will be done directly via the ITF (International Tennis Federation) website. We expect the top players to have a ranking around 500 in the ATP world rankings. In addition, there will certainly be some Swiss top 20 players taking part. The prerequisite is an account with the ITF and the possibility of participation depends on the current ranking in the ATP/ITF world ranking list of the player. Then there are players who can play directly in the main tableau via a wildcard (participation without qualification). These will certainly be young players from Swiss Tennis. As tournament director, I can also issue a wildcard for the qualifying round, which I will give to a tennis player from Bern.

What will be the highlight of the tournament?

The highlight of the tournament on one side is the proximity to the matches. At the Sporting, we have the opportunity to watch the matches directly on the tennis court. Another highlight is the Bern Open Dinner at the Casino Bern on 1 July, where the Bernese scene meets to support the tennis scene in Bern in a beautiful ambience.

What do you personally hope for from this competition?

That we will have many spectators who will become enthusiastic about tennis through this tournament and that we can offer young Swiss players a platform in their home country where they can bring out the best in their familiar surroundings.

Does the upcoming competition also represent an opportunity to acquire new talent for the sport of tennis?

Absolutely. We communicate in the surrounding neighbourhood, in and around Bern. We hope to make tennis attractive so that children and young people are interested in this great sport.

What makes the linkyard Bern Open worth visiting?

Top tennis in the city of Bern. A unique and up-close experience of top international tennis with free admission. We are looking forward to numerous visitors.