US Open champion Coco Gauff confirmed for major clay-court tournament

Coco Gauff in her stride

The 2024 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix will once again boast a high-quality field as Coco Gauff has become the latest Grand Slam winner to sign up for the event.

Reigning US Open champion Gauff will make her third appearance at the WTA 500 tournament where the winner not only receives a big cheque and a trophy for their efforts, but also drives away with a brand new Porsche sports car.

The American does not have the best of records at the Stuttgart event as she lost in the second round against Anastasia Potapova last year while she was beaten in the first round by Daria Kasatkina on her debut in 2022.

Gauff, though, has come on leaps and bounds since her early exit last year as she went on to win the US Open later this year and rose to a career-high No 3 in the WTA Rankings.

The teenager – who turns 20 on March 13 – is looking forward to returning to Germany, but she is determined to improve on her previous results.

“I am excited to kick off the clay court swing in Stuttgart,” she told the official Porsche website.

“I have had a lot of success on the clay and I think Stuttgart provides the perfect week with great hospitality to start the European season.

“The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is still a tournament I can improve on and I am up for the challenge!”

Gauff will be joined in the line-up by fellow Grand Slam winners in two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek, reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka – who has finished runner-up in the last three Stuttgart tournaments – and Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova.

“First of all, she’s a player I love watching,” Markus Günthardt, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix tournament director said, before adding “And secondly, we’ll be hosting all four reigning Grand Slam champions.”

Former world No 1 and three-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber as well as 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu have also signed up for the 2024 edition along with 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko.

The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is traditionally the first clay-court event for big-name players and the 2024 edition will start on April 15 with the final set for Sunday, April 21.

Players will then take part in the WTA 1000 clay-court double header at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open before heading to Roland Garros for the French Open.