How Munich is maintaining tradition, ‘touch’ and ‘feel’ in its bold new ATP 500 era

The BMW Open by Bitpanda may have taken a big step forward in 2025, but that does not mean the clay-court event is ready to forget its roots.

The tournament, which is being held as an ATP 500 for the first time this year, remains in its long-term home, Munich’s Iphitos Tennis Club. The expansion of club-based events often presents significant challenges, especially when it comes to maintaining the ‘up-close-and-personal’ atmosphere that often makes them so beloved. Yet tournament director Patrik Kuhnen believes he and his team have struck a healthy early balance with the new-look BMW Open by Bitpanda.

“Our ‘DNA’ for the past years being a 250 tournament was always ‘touch-and-feel’ tennis for the fans and players,” Kuhnen, a former No. 43 in the PIF ATP Rankings, told ATPTour.com in Munich. “For the fans to really have a chance to watch practice sessions, be really close to the players, and get a sense of the emotions and how the players practise. Also to be close to the matches and to have this experience on a very unique club atmosphere level.

“Even with a new category, we want to maintain that atmosphere as well as possible. I think for this year, what I have heard from spectators is that we have managed to keep our spirit or ‘vibe’ of the tournament also in the 500 category.”

The BMW Open by Bitpanda is one of three former ATP 250s (also Dallas and Doha) that have been upgraded to ATP 500 level as part of the ATP’s OneVision strategic plan. According to top seed, home favourite and defending champion Alexander Zverev, the efforts made by Kuhnen and his team to justify that change are clear to see.

“I think they've done an amazing job,” said Zverev. “They’ve upgraded centre court, and the players’ village is amazing. They're also going to build a completely new centre court with a roof in a couple of years’ time. So they're really taking care of it. They really took it seriously, the upgrade. And it's definitely nice to see.”

Upon entering the tournament grounds, it does not take long to see the biggest element of the new-look Munich set up. A temporary 6,500-seat stadium court has been erected in front of the clubhouse, contributing to the feeling of traditional infrastructure being blended into a world-class event.

“The centre court is beautiful,” said Zverev. “It's bigger, it's much bigger, and it's a different place. Before, it was nice. It was small and very family-like. But the tournament has been sold out over the past few years, and it's sold out again with the bigger stadium. So the upgrade was definitely a positive thing.”

_{^{The new layout of the BMW Open by Bitpanda. Photo Credit: BMW Open by Bitpanda}}

Kuhnen explained that the new location of centre court was at the heart of the tournament upgrade, while there have also been some key improvements for players, including an expanded warm-up area and a spacious pop-up dining area with a wooden façade inspired by traditional Bavarian architecture.

“Having the centre court in the heart of the club, that’s what we wanted, and that's what we needed,” he said. “We now also have four match courts and many practice courts as well for the players to prepare, which is not new, but for the players, the whole dining area, the dining experience has changed. A new location. We used to have a two-storey tent. Now we have created a whole new VIP player-dining experience and it is a huge upgrade. We have gone through the standards required and I think we ticked many boxes.”

Plenty of debutants came to Munich for the tournament's ATP 500 debut, including Ben Shelton and Francisco Cerundolo, both of whom are through to the semi-finals. Others, such as German doubles star Kevin Krawietz, are more familiar with the event.

“Munich always feels like home because I live here,” said Krawietz, a former champion in the Bavarian city who is competing this year alongside Tim Puetz. “I think the new stadium is unbelievably nice. For me, when they said, ‘We are building a new stadium’, I was worried it might lose the flair, but they did it well. Also the players’ restaurant has a little bit of Bavarian tradition, done in the style of a wooden house. I think it’s awesome.”

_{^{The new player dining area at the BMW Open by Bitpanda. Photo Credit: BMW Open by Bitpanda}}

There is more to come from the BMW Open by Bitpanda, too. Plans are already being made for a new, permanent stadium, complete with a retractable roof. It is a further significant step for an event that this year sold out for all nine days, including two days of qualifying.

“We have more spectators this year, and to integrate this into the club atmosphere, transitioning to a 500 tournament, was kind of a challenge," said Kuhnen. "But it was a challenge we liked and wanted to have, obviously. We had to create some new ideas, a new look into where we want to go. But so far so good. Everything I hear from spectators and players so far is only very positive.”