The best female tennis players have been back in action after a little break at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix this week, with the likes of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula both in action.
Stuttgart is hosting the latest event, with the quarter-final stage now upon the players, and all of the world’s top five players making it through to this stage.
That should throw up some really exciting matches, and it showcases that the top players are gaining some sort of form ahead of the next Grand Slam of the year at the French Open.
With the tournament in full swing, the crowds at the event have come into the spotlight, with both Pegula and Gauff being quizzed on this factor after their matches with Magdalena Frech and Ella Seidel, respectively.
Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff on the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix crowds
The tournament is becoming more popular with each passing year, and yesterday saw bumper crowds take over the Centre Court at the event.
Pegula was asked about the crowd in her press conference and although she was seen walking out with headphones on, it’s clear that the noise didn’t go unnoticed.
She said: “Yeah, definitely. Sometimes when I walk out, I usually take one of my sides off a little bit so I can hear the crowd and stuff like that. Yeah, it was crazy to see it fully packed.
“It’s a really cool centre court. The beginning, to see all the lights and everything, was really, really neat. There is not a lot of tournaments where we have something like that. It’s amazing to see it sold out.
“I know there was a lot of Polish fans today, but I can’t imagine this in, like, the U.S. and being American, I would imagine it would be really, really loud, so I’m sure obviously, whoever they are supporting, it gets really loud.
“Yeah, it’s a pretty cool experience. And then playing with the Porsches in the background, it’s very different but really cool.”
Gauff concurred with her compatriot, and she also had a lot of time for the crowd on her court, with it not going unnoticed that the crowd was considerably bigger than usual.
“Yeah, no, I definitely noticed the crowd size. I think this is my third or fourth time playing the tournament. I definitely think this is the most packed it’s been at least on my first match, which I thought it was just because of her (smiling).
“But it’s cool to know that a lot of people here in Stuttgart are supporting women’s tennis. I feel like the tournament has grown every year since I have played.
“I think they do a great job player-wise, providing for the players and making sure that we’re well-accommodated. Obviously I have never experienced the fan experience, but obviously they must be doing well on that end too if people are deciding to come back and maybe inviting some more friends to play.
“Yeah, it’s great, and that’s actually cool that a women’s event is selling out, which I shouldn’t be surprised, because we do have a strong competition. I think this is probably the hardest 500 on tour, for sure.”
Jessica Pegula asked which song she listens too before playing tennis
It’s not uncommon for sports stars across the globe to be spotted wearing headphones to get their minds focused before a big event.
Soccer players can often be spotted with headphones on when they get off the bus at big games and for tennis players, it’s becoming more of the norm.
Pegula was quizzed on what sort of music she loves to listen to ahead of her match yesterday and it would appear that she likes to mix things up.
She said: “I mix it up. Depends on the week. Whatever song I’m feeling or vibing to, whatever is stuck in my head.
“It definitely varies from different tournaments or depending on where I am. I don’t even know what it was today. Sometimes I have it on and I’m not even listening to anything. I just put them on. I like the noise-cancelling.
“I like that I can’t really hear anybody when I’m warming up. Nobody tries to talk to me because I have the headphones on (smiling).”
Both Pegula and Gauff are back in action tomorrow and given their credentials, the pair will fancy their chances of claiming a victory at the event in Germany ahead of the next Grand Slam.
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