The MercedesCup in Stuttgart will become an ATP World Tour grass court tournament beginning in '15. The tournament’s request to move to a grass court event taking place the week following Roland Garros in the lead up to Wimbledon beginning in '15 was approved by the ATP Board of Directors at its recent meetings in Miami. With Wimbledon taking place a week later in the calendar from '15, a three-week gap will be incorporated in the ATP World Tour calendar in between Roland Garros and The Championships, meaning an additional week of tournaments in the lead up to Wimbledon. All England Club CEO Richard Lewis said, "The three-week gap will create a longer grass court season between the French Open and Wimbledon, allowing the players more time to recover from the demands of playing at Roland Garros and then to prepare for The Championships" (ATP). SPIEGEL ONLINE reported German tennis player Tommy Haas "was glad to hear the positive news" ahead of his semifinal match in Miami. Haas said, "It is fantastic that Germany will host two grass tournaments with Stuttgart and Halle starting in 2015. This gives the world's best tennis players an ideal opportunity to prepare for Wimbledon. It is definitely a goal of mine to play on grass in Stuttgart in two years" (SPIEGEL ONLINE, 3/29).
