History

History

The biggest women's clay court tennis tournament in France, right behind the French Open, the Internationaux de Strasbourg will take place at the Tennis Club de Strasbourg from the 18th to the 25th of May 2024.

Created in 1987, the tournament was originally called " The Strasbourg Grand Prix ". One year after its creation, the Alsatian Tennis League took up the reigns and gave it its current name, often shortened to its convenient abbreviation: IS. Every year since then, the tournament has attracted many of the world's top players, poised to prove their worth. Nowadays, it is considered as one of the most historic events in the WTA line-up.

Traditionally responsible for all major tennis tournaments in France, the French Tennis Federation (FFT) became the official owner of the IS in 2008. After making sure the event would remain in Strasbourg, the FFT decided to entrust the event's management to a private firm, close to the tennis family, on certain conditions. Denis Naegelen, founder of Quarterback sports marketing agency, a native to the Alsace region and former tennis professional player immediately expressed an interest in handling the production, organization and promotion of this event and became the official owner of the WTA tournament.

In 2010, the first edition managed by Quarterback  took place at the Alsatian Tennis League's clay court facilities in Strasbourg's western suburb known as " Hautepierre ". Traditionally held the week before the French Open, this event is a great clay court warm-up, as the playing conditions are identical to those of the French Open, with the same clay and balls as in Roland Garros. 

Some of the best players in tennis history have played here and added their name to the tournament's winner list. International stars such as Jana Novotna (1989), Mary Joe Fernandez (1994), Lindsay Davenport (1995, 96), Steffi Graf (1997), Jennifer Capriati (1999), Maria Sharapova (2010) and Andrea Petkovic (2011) have graced these courts.  After Amélie Mauresmo and Julie  Halard-Decugis made it to the finals, Aravane Rezaï was the first French player to win the Internationaux de Strasbourg, in 2009. In 2010,  the first time Maria Sharapova played in this tournament, she walked off with the victory. This was a historic moment since it also marked the first time a Russian player participated in a French tournament, other than the French open.

In 2019, the tournament welcomed more than 27 000 spectators from France, Switzerland and Germany. The relocation of the tournament since 2010 from Hautepierre to the Tennis Club of Strasbourg (in front of the European Parliament) was a decisive factor of its success. 

In 2021, the tournament was held with a reduced capacity at the end of May, due to the global health crisis linked to COVID-19. The event was the first in France to introduce a health pass, on the recommendation of the Bas-Rhin Prefecture. The IS also welcomed 12 players in the Top 50, including 2 in the Top 10 and 4 in the Top 20 - the best sporting line-up ever! It was the Czech Barbora KREJCIKOVA who added her name to the list of IS winners for a very special 2021 edition. Barbora created a sensation by winning the French Grand Slam the following week, proving to the whole world that Strasbourg is the best preparation for the French Open.

In 2020, in the midst of the global health crisis, the IS was the first tournament in the world, both men's and women's, to welcome spectators to a professional tennis event following the worldwide lockdown. It was also the tournament with the highest attendance, with 15,000 spectators present during the week of the competition.

In 2023, the Internationaux de Strasbourg attracted nearly 27,000 spectators during the week of the tournament and continued to develop around 3 key themes: women, sport and eco-responsibility.

In 2024, the tournament will be taking a real step forward, as it will now be part of the WTA 500 category. This will make the #IS the 3rd biggest tennis event in France, after Roland-Garros and the Rolex Paris Masters! This involves a number of changes: more prize-money distributed, a more impressive sporting line-up, double the attendance, bigger audiences and a gradual restructuring of the site.