The Hamburg Open (formerly German Open Tennis Championships) is an annual tennis tournament for professional players held in Hamburg, Germany and part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). It is the fifth oldest tennis tournament in the world.
The tournament is played on outdoor clay courts at the tennis center Am Rothenbaum in the Harvestehude quarter. For much of its history, the tournament was contested in May, as a precursor to the French Open on the professional tennis calendar. Starting with the 2009 tournament, it has been held in July instead.
The women's event was held initially separately from 1982 to 1983 (in Hittfeld), and again from 1987 through to 2002. It was part of the WTA Tour and existed under several different sponsored names, most commonly known as the Citizen Cup (1987–1995) and the Betty Barclay Cup (1999–2002). WTA Hamburg was the location where Monica Seles, then-world No.1, was stabbed during a match by a disorderly local tennis fan on April 30, 1993. In 2021, Hamburg returned to the calendar of the WTA tour, becoming part of its WTA 250 series category of tournaments. In 2024 the tournament was classified as a WTA 125 tournament and the WTA referred to the event as the "ECE Ladies Hamburg Open". In 2025 it returned to its WTA 250 status as the "MSC Hamburg Ladies Open".
History The inaugural edition was held at the 'Eisenbahnverein auf der Uhlenhorst' (Uhlenhorst Railway Club) and was played in a best-of-three sets format. From the second edition in 1893 onward the tournament was a best-of-five sets until 2007 when it reverted (like other non Grand Slam events) to a best-of-three sets final. The first five editions, from 1892 to 1896, were exclusively open to German and Austrian players.
From 1898 to 1901 the German Championships were held in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe. A men's doubles event was added to the tournament in 1902. In 1924, the tournament permanently moved to the current location in Am Rothenbaum. The German Open was a combined men's and women's tournament up until 1979 when the WTA event was moved to West Berlin.
Since 2019, the tournament logo changed every year, using the trajectory of the ball in the championship point in the previous year's tournament to form the yellow line in the logo.
Men's The tournament joined the Grand Prix Tour from 1971 to 1989 with mixed importance. With the creation of the ATP Tour in 1990, the tournament was classed as an ATP Masters Series event up until 2008. In 2009 the tournament was downgraded to an ATP Tour 500 event. According to tournament officials, this seriously hinders its ability to attract top-ranking players, who are more likely to participate in tournaments that earn them more points. Tournament officials sued the ATP in 2007 to stop the downgrade but a US jury decided in 2008 that it did not constitute a breach of monopoly laws. After a court-ordered mediation the tournament saw its appeal to the verdict rejected in 2010.2010 United States Court of Appeals verdict
Women's The German Championships were a combined men's and women's tournament held in Hamburg up until the women's event moved to West Berlin in 1979. The women's championships were established in 1896 and held 66 editions with the men's event before the decision to separate the two events.
A new WTA Hamburg tournament was established in 1982, three years after the separation of the men's and women's German Open. This tournament was held the week prior to the men's German Open (whilst the women's German Open was held the week following the men's event in West Berlin). It existed as a lower tier tournament in 1982 and 1983 before a hiatus for three years. It was held in Hittfield. When the tournament then returned in 1987, it was held at Am Rothenbaum in September with German Steffi Graf winning the tournament. The German Open (men's) was held in late April to early May (with the women's event being held in Berlin from 11 May). In 1990 the tournament was promoted to Tier II status which it maintained until 2002 when the tournament was discontinued.
It has been known by various names; the Casino Cup (1982), Fila Europa Cup (1983), Citizen Cup (1987–95), Rexona Cup (1996–97), Intersport Damen Grand Prix (1998), and Betty Barclay Cup (1999–2002). On April 30, 1993, Monica Seles, then-world No.1, was stabbed by a disorderly local tennis fan during a quarterfinal match with Magdalena Maleeva. Seles never played in Germany again after the incident.TBT, 1993 HAMBURG: MONICA SELES' STABBING CHANGES TENNIS HISTORYTennis star Monica Seles stabbed
Between 2003 and 2020, no tournaments were held in Hamburg. Hamburg returned to the WTA calendar in 2021 after it secured license in the 250 series from the Baltic Open that was previously held in Jūrmala, Latvia.
Steffi Graf holds the record for the most wins at WTA Hamburg, winning it six times consecutively from 1987 to 1992. She also finished runner-up a further two times.
Champions
Men's singles YearChampionsRunners-upScore 1892 Walter Bonne R.A. Leers 7–5, 6–3 1893 Christian Winzer Walter Bonne 6–4, 6–0, 3–6, 6–3 1894 Victor Voss Christian Winzer 11–9, 6–1, 6–4 1895 Victor Voss (2) Christian Winzer 6–2, 6–1, 6–2 1896 Victor Voss (3) Georg Wantzelius 6–1, 6–0, 6–1 1897 George Hillyard George Ball-Greene 6–1, 6–2, 6–3 1898 Harold Mahony Joshua Pim 6–4, 6–3, 6–4 1899 Clarence Hobart Harold Mahony 8–6, 8–10, 6–0, 6–8, 8–6 1900 George Hillyard (2) Laurence Doherty walkover 1901 Max Decugis Frederick W. Payn 6–4, 6–4, 4–6, 6–2 1902 Max Decugis (2) John Flavelle 4–6, 2–6, 7–5, 7–5, 6–0 1903 Major Ritchie Max Decugis walkover 1904 Major Ritchie (2) Kurt von Wessely 6–4, 6–0, 10–8 1905 Major Ritchie (3) Anthony Wilding 8–6, 7–5, 8–6 1906 Major Ritchie (4) Friedrich Wilhelm Rahe 6–2, 6–2, 6–0 1907 Otto Froitzheim Major Ritchie 7–5, 6–3, 6–4 1908 Major Ritchie (5) George K. Logie 6–1, 6–1, 6–3 1909 Otto Froitzheim (2) Friedrich Wilhelm Rahe 6–0, 6–2, 6–3 1910 Otto Froitzheim (3) Kurt Bergmann walkover 1911 Otto Froitzheim (4) Felix Pipes 6–3, 6–2, 6–1 1912 Otto von Müller Heinrich Schomburgk 2–6, 6–1, 6–4, 6–2 1913 Heinrich Schomburgk Otto von Müller 6–2, 6–4, 7–5 1914–1919 Not held 1920 Oscar Kreuzer Luis Maria Heyden 6–0, 6–0, 6–2 1921 Otto Froitzheim (5) Robert Kleinschroth 6–4, 8–6 retired 1922 Otto Froitzheim (6) Friedrich Wilhelm Rahe 2–6, 6–0, 8–6, 6–1 1923 Heinz Landmann Luis Maria Heyden 6–2, 6–3, 7–5 1924 Béla von Kehrling Luis Maria Heyden 8–6, 6–1, 9–7 1925 Otto Froitzheim (7) Béla von Kehrling 6–4, 6–1, 4–6, 6–1 1926 Hans Moldenhauer Walter Dessart 6–2, 6–2, 6–1 1927 Hans Moldenhauer (2) Willy Hannemann 6–2, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4 1928 Daniel Prenn Hans Moldenhauer 6–1, 6–4, 6–3 1929 Christian Boussus Otto Froitzheim 6–1, 4–6, 6–1, 6–8, 6–1 1930 Christian Boussus (2) Yoshiro Ohta 1–6, 8–6, 2–6, 6–4, 6–4 1931 Roderich Menzel Gustav Jaenecke 6–2, 6–2, 6–1 1932 Gottfried von Cramm Roderich Menzel 3–6, 6–2, 6–2, 6–3 1933 Gottfried von Cramm (2) Roderich Menzel 7–5, 2–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 1934 Gottfried von Cramm (3) Clayton Lee Burwell 6–2, 6–1, 6–4 1935 Gottfried von Cramm (4) Ottó Szigeti 6–3, 6–3, 6–3 1936 Not held 1937 Henner Henkel Vivian McGrath 1–6, 6–3, 8–6, 3–6, 6–1 1938 Ottó Szigeti Bernard Destremau 8–6, 6–8, 6–3, 6–3 1939 Henner Henkel (2) Roderich Menzel 4–6, 6–4, 6–0, 6–1 1940–1947 Not held 1948 Gottfried von Cramm (5) Helmut Gulcz 6–4, 6–1, 4–6, 6–3 1949 Gottfried von Cramm (6) Ernst Buchholz 7–5, 6–1, 6–0 1950 Jaroslav Drobný Gottfried von Cramm 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 1951 Lennart Bergelin Sven Davidson 4–6, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 7–5 1952 Eric Sturgess Jaroslav Drobný 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 1953 Budge Patty Fausto Gardini 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 1954 Budge Patty (2) Sven Davidson 6–1, 6–1, 7–5 1955 Arthur Larsen Władysław Skonecki 3–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–8, 6–3 1956 Lew Hoad Orlando Sirola 6–2, 5–7, 6–4, 8–6 1957 Mervyn Rose Pierre Darmon 6–3, 6–0, 6–1 1958 Sven Davidson Jacques Brichant 5–7, 6–4, 0–6, 9–7, 6–3 1959 William Knight Ian Vermaak 4–6, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 8–6 1960 Nicola Pietrangeli Jan-Erik Lundqvist 6–3, 2–6, 6–4, 6–2 1961 Rod Laver Luis Ayala 6–2, 6–8, 5–7, 6–1, 6–2 1962 Rod Laver (2) Manuel Santana 8–6, 7–5, 6–4 1963 Martin Mulligan Bob Hewitt 6–0, 0–6, 8–6, 6–2 1964 Wilhelm Bungert Christian Kuhnke 0–6, 6–4, 7–5, 6–2 1965 Cliff Drysdale Boro Jovanović 6–2, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3 1966 Fred Stolle István Gulyás 2–6, 7–5, 6–1, 6–2 1967 Roy Emerson Manuel Santana 6–3, 6–3, 6–1↓ Open Era ↓ 1968 John Newcombe Cliff Drysdale 6–3, 6–2, 6–4 1969 Tony Roche Tom Okker 6–1, 5–7, 7–5, 8–6 1970 Tom Okker Ilie Năstase 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–4↓ Grand Prix circuit ↓ 1971 Andrés Gimeno Péter Szőke 6–3, 6–2, 6–2 1972 Manuel Orantes Adriano Panatta 6–3, 9–8, 6–0 1973 Eddie Dibbs Karl Meiler 6–1, 3–6, 7–6, 6–3 1974 Eddie Dibbs (2) Hans-Joachim Plötz 6–2, 6–2, 6–3 1975 Manuel Orantes (2) Jan Kodeš 3–6, 6–2, 6–2, 4–6, 6–1 1976 Eddie Dibbs (3) Manuel Orantes 6–4, 4–6, 6–1, 2–6, 6–1 1977 Paolo Bertolucci Manuel Orantes 6–3, 4–6, 6–2, 6–3 1978 Guillermo Vilas Wojtek Fibak 6–2, 6–4, 6–2 1979 José Higueras Harold Solomon 3–6, 6–1, 6–4, 6–1 1980 Harold Solomon Guillermo Vilas 6–7, 6–2, 6–4, 2–6, 6–3 1981 Peter McNamara Jimmy Connors 7–6, 6–1, 4–6, 6–4 1982 José Higueras (2) Peter McNamara 4–6, 6–7, 7–6, 6–3, 7–6 1983 Yannick Noah José Higueras 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–0 1984 Juan Aguilera Henrik Sundström 6–4, 2–6, 2–6, 6–4, 6–4 1985 Miloslav Mečíř Henrik Sundström 6–4, 6–1, 6–4 1986 Henri Leconte Miloslav Mečíř 6–2, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2 1987 Ivan Lendl Miloslav Mečíř 6–1, 6–3, 6–3 1988 Kent Carlsson Henri Leconte 6–2, 6–1, 6–4 1989 Ivan Lendl (2) Horst Skoff 6–4, 6–1, 6–3↓ ATP 1000 ↓1990 Juan Aguilera (2) Boris Becker 6–1, 6–0, 7–61991 Karel Nováček Magnus Gustafsson 6–3, 6–3, 5–7, 0–6, 6–11992 Stefan Edberg Michael Stich 5–7, 6–4, 6–11993 Michael Stich Andrei Chesnokov 6–3, 6–7(1–7), 7–6(9–7), 6–41994 Andrei Medvedev Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 6–31995 Andrei Medvedev (2) Goran Ivanišević 6–3, 6–2, 6–11996 Roberto Carretero Àlex Corretja 2–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–41997 Andrei Medvedev (3) Félix Mantilla 6–0, 6–4, 6–21998 Albert Costa Àlex Corretja 6–2, 6–0, 1–0 retired1999 Marcelo Ríos Mariano Zabaleta 6–7(5–7), 7–5, 5–7, 7–6(7–5), 6–22000 Gustavo Kuerten Marat Safin 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 5–7, 7–6(7–3)2001 Albert Portas Juan Carlos Ferrero 4–6, 6–2, 0–6, 7–6(7–5), 7–52002 Roger Federer Marat Safin 6–1, 6–3, 6–42003 Guillermo Coria Agustín Calleri 6–3, 6–4, 6–42004 Roger Federer (2) Guillermo Coria 4–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–32005 Roger Federer (3) Richard Gasquet 6–3, 7–5, 7–6(7–4)2006 Tommy Robredo Radek Štěpánek 6–1, 6–3, 6–32007 Roger Federer (4) Rafael Nadal 2–6, 6–2, 6–02008 Rafael Nadal Roger Federer 7–5, 6–7(3–7), 6–3↓ ATP 500 ↓2009 Nikolay Davydenko Paul-Henri Mathieu 6–4, 6–22010 Andrey Golubev Jürgen Melzer 6–3, 7–52011 Gilles Simon Nicolás Almagro 6–4, 4–6, 6–42012 Juan Mónaco Tommy Haas 7–5, 6–42013 Fabio Fognini Federico Delbonis 4–6, 7–6(10–8), 6–22014 Leonardo Mayer David Ferrer 6–7(3–7), 6–1, 7–6(7–4)2015 Rafael Nadal (2) Fabio Fognini 7–5, 7–52016 Martin Kližan Pablo Cuevas 6–1, 6–42017 Leonardo Mayer (2) Florian Mayer 6–4, 4–6, 6–32018 Nikoloz Basilashvili Leonardo Mayer 6–4, 0–6, 7–52019 Nikoloz Basilashvili (2) Andrey Rublev 7–5, 4–6, 6–32020 Andrey Rublev Stefanos Tsitsipas 6–4, 3–6, 7–52021 Pablo Carreño Busta Filip Krajinović 6–2, 6–42022 Lorenzo Musetti Carlos Alcaraz 6–4, 6–7(6–8), 6–42023 Alexander Zverev Laslo Djere 7–5, 6–32024 Arthur Fils Alexander Zverev 6–3, 3–6, 7–6(7–1)2025 Flavio Cobolli Andrey Rublev 6–2, 6–42026 Ignacio Buse Tommy Paul 7–6(8–6), 4–6, 6–3
Women's singles This section contains information of finals for WTA Hamburg (1982–2002) and Hamburg European Open (from 2021) only, except 2024 which was held as WTA 125 tournament. For information regarding finals of the German Open that was held concurrently with the men's event up to and including 1978, please see German Open (WTA) Past finals.