Garbiñe Muguruza and Ana Ivanovic have confirmed their participation in the inaugural Mallorca Open held the week of June 13, 2016, two weeks before the 2016 Wimbledon Championships. Unlike other grass court tournaments, the Mallorca Open will have both a day and night session, a unique experience for all players looking to hone their grass court skills ahead of the third Grand Slam of the season.
Mallorca Open to Make 2016 Debut
One of ten changes to the WTA calendar in 2016, the Mallorca Open will be held in the Spanish city of Mallorca, the hometown of 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal. The tournament will be run by E|Motion Management, the same management company that runs the MercedesCup, an ATP 250 event held on the grass of Stuttgart, Germany. The WTA International event will be played at a multi-purpose-built facility with five natural grass courts, as well as a retail development and tennis academy, according to a press release from the Women's Tennis Association.
Muguruza and Ivanovic Confirmed for Inaugural Edition
Mallorca organizers say that they will feature night session matches, a first for a professional grass court tournament. On one of the first nights of the tournament, Garbiñe Muguruza will make her debut in Mallorca. "It's going to be strange playing at night but I am looking forward to being one of the first to do so on grass." The Spanish number one said in a presentation for the event in Madrid this week.
Muguruza also said that since Spain has more of a "clay tradition", the grass court tournament in Mallorca could be "a very attractive tournament" and in other words, somewhat unique.
Benito Perez-Barbadillo, the director of communications for the event, said the organizers will have the Wimbledon heads groundsman come to Mallorca in person in order to ensure that the grass courts are up to the minimum standard set at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
Joining Muguruza in Mallorca will be Ana Ivanovic. The former world number one is looking to rebound nicely on the grass after a disappointing showing in 2015, where she won just one of her three matches on the ryegrass of Great Britain.