On Saturday, the Sparkassen Open in Braunschweig crowned the 24th champion in its illustrious history, as 17-year-old qualifier Nicola Kuhn lifted his first ATP Challenger Tour trophy. The prestigious event has been the standard on the circuit for years and recently celebrated a third straight Tournament of the Year award. The honour is representative of the clay-court event’s steadfast commitment to growing the game in a world-class environment.

Under the watchful eye of tournament director Volker Jäcke, the tournament has greatly evolved and is considered a top destination for players and fans. The Sparkassen Open founded the concept of ‘Tennistainment’, which refers to the notion that premier tennis and off-court entertainment create a first-rate experience with a festive atmosphere. It continues to be the soul of the tournament, with nightly concerts on the grounds.

The event began with a small Centre Court and one catering tent, and the main stadium has since been upgraded to hold a capacity crowd of 2,000 patrons, with a big stage for the concerts and over 50 concession tents for catering and exhibitions. But while the tournament’s famous entertainment scene has garnered much attention, it is its rich and storied history that is arguably its most intriguing aspect.

The Sparkassen Open is played at the Braunschweiger Tennis und Hockey Club on the grounds of the Bürgerpark. Today, it is a large expanse of public land, but many centuries ago, it was the sprawling home of Duchess Augusta, wife of Duke Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand. The estate included the duchess’ residence, known as Schloss Richmond (Richmond Castle) and the tennis courts. The wall that enclosed the city was removed and in 1901, the park opened to the citizens of Braunschweig and the tennis club was officially founded.

“This was the missing link at the time, to open the city and make the Burgerpark for all the citizens of the city to come and rest,” said club president Ralf Hinrichs. “It’s an open space with different flowers and trees. They took different types of trees from all over the world and brought them here. They make it a very special place for the citizens of Braunschweig. It’s a gift to the people here. That was in 1900 and the club was founded a year later.”

During World War II, Braunschweig became a stronghold for the Nazis and the city was destroyed. The club partially survived the bombings, as the front gate, two small cabins on either side of the gate and many stone statues that lie around the main entrance and inside the club remain. So does the front facade of the former castle, with a series of Roman-style columns left undamaged from the time of the duke and duchess. The unique rococo style of the 1700s remains a constant reminder of pre-war Germany, when an architecture movement swept through the country.

After the war ended, for more than 50 years, the German National Championships were hosted at the Braunschweiger Tennis und Hockey Club, featuring a teenage Boris Becker and Steffi Graf, before the ATP Challenger Tour staked its claim to the historic venue in 1994. The Sparkassen Open was born.

“I don’t feel like it’s a Challenger, it’s more like an ATP World Tour event,” said Germany’s Oscar Otte, No. 170 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. “The hotel is not that far and it’s amazing. You walk through the park to get there. The Centre Court gives you a nice feeling playing in front of many people from your country.”

In its 24-year history, the tournament has boasted Top 10 players Gaston Gaudio, Tomas Berdych and Alexander Zverev as champions, with former World No. 2 Michael Stich serving as tournament director in the early 2010s.

“What makes the tournament so special is that after the tennis there are a lot of activities there,” Zverev told ATPWorldTour.com after winning in 2014. “It’s like the [ATP World Tour] events in Umag and Bastad where there’s a lot of nightlife and the players really like it. It’s great fun for the players and the fans.”

Marin Cilic has a keen awareness of the history of the Wimbledon Championships. His former coach, Goran Ivanisevic, made headlines for Croatia by winning Wimbledon in 2001 and Cilic can vividly recall every detail.

“Everyone knows where they were when Goran played,” said Cilic. “I was in a tennis summer camp, close to my hometown. We watched like a big group of children. It was a big celebration. I was still a kid, not even 13 years old. I was just enjoying playing tennis.” 

Cilic is playing well enough to produce similar memories for kids in Croatia. He’s won more grass-court matches than anyone on tour this season, reaching the semi-finals at the Ricoh Open and finishing runner-up at the Aegon Championships (l. Lopez) prior to his Wimbledon run. His serve has also arguably been the strongest shot of the tournament. Cilic has hit 127 aces this fortnight and routinely used first-serves to set up forehand winners.

He credited small changes he made during the clay-court season with coach Jonas Bjorkman to his big results over the past few months. Cilic has gone 23-6 since April and prevailed on clay this April in Istanbul (d. Raonic).

“It’s not just one detail. It is the work and process that goes on for weeks,” said Cilic. “I made little changes with my own team, in the training routine, preparations for matches. I believe with that consistency in the training program and in the matches, it helped me to be a little bit more stronger mentally.

“I was feeling that I could depend a lot on my own game. When I had to produce good tennis, I was producing it,” he added. “That was obviously giving me a lot of confidence.”

Cilic trails Federer 1-6 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head Series, but his lone win was one of the most memorable in his career. The Croatian produced a flawless performance in the 2014 US Open semi-finals to defeat Federer in straight sets and eventually win to his maiden Grand Slam title. Federer reflected on Friday that the match was one of the finest performances anyone has put in against him.

Some of Cilic’s most painful losses have also come against Federer, though. He failed to convert on three match points against the Swiss star in their 2016 Wimbledon quarter-final and ultimately lost in five sets. Although it was a difficult defeat to swallow, Cilic said the experience made him a better player.

“Obviously it’s tough when you’re losing, but the losses are giving you a better picture, a clearer picture, compared to when you are winning. When you are winning, everything is great. You don’t look too much on the bad stuff,” said Cilic. “I’ve matured a little bit more in dealing with losses, especially on a big stage and in big tournaments. I feel just taking small details out of those matches have helped me to become better and use them in situations when I see them again.”

Utilising those past experiences have helped Cilic break past quarter-final finishes at Wimbledon in the past three years and into his second Grand Slam final. Although he’s already lifted one Slam trophy before, he said defeating Federer on Sunday would be the greatest moment of his career.

“It would absolutely mean the world to me,” said Cilic. “When I won the US Open, it opened so many possibilities in my mind for the rest of my career. To be able to do it again would mean even more because I know how much it meant for me to win that first one. It would be a dream come true to win Wimbledon.”

Roger Federer may be the on-paper favourite against Marin Cilic in the Wimbledon final on Sunday, but he knows the Croatian can’t be underestimated.

The Swiss star was in a similar position during their 2014 US Open semi-final, but Cilic put in one of the finest performances of his career to dismiss Federer in straight sets. The match was one of the few times where Federer simply didn’t have answers on the court.

“It puts all the other great performances against me to shame,” reflected Federer. “I thought he played very well. He was clocking returns and serves at will. He was doing a great job. He was confident and feeling it and seeing it. It was definitely very, very impressive.”

Federer leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head against Cilic 6-1, but their lone match since that US Open battle came in the 2016 Wimbledon quarter-finals. The seven-time champion saved rallied from two sets down and saved three match points to prevail in a classic encounter.

Sunday’s final marks the first time since the 2009 US Open (del Potro) that Federer is going up against someone outside the Big Four in a Grand Slam championship, but he said it won’t change his preparation in any way.

“Thank God I’ve played also guys who were not called Rafa, Andy or Novak in the past, like Marcos Baghdatis and Fernando Gonzalez and others,” said Federer. “I don’t want to say it’s more relaxed going into it because I have a good head-to-head record against Marin, even though the matches were extremely close. But it’s not like we’ve played against each other 30 times. You feel like you have to reinvent the wheel. It’s a nice change, but it doesn’t make things easier, in my opinion.”

Federer’s decision to skip the clay-court season and focus on the grass has paid off handsomely. He won a ninth Gerry Weber Open title last month (d. Zverev), and has prevailed in his last 11 matches and 27 sets on the surface. Although he has vowed that there will be no more breaks this season, Federer said that having a sensible schedule will remain essential in boosting his chances at more success.

“Health definitely has a role to play in my decision-making, As I move forward, I’ll be very cautious of how much I will play and how much I think is healthy,” said Federer. “Then it’s just discussions I always have with my wife about the family, about my kids. Is everybody happy on tour? Are we happy to pack up and go on tour for five, six, seven weeks? Are we willing to do that? For the time being, it seems like absolutely no problem, which is wonderful.

“Then success, to some extent, is also key for staying out there,” he added. “This tournament hopefully helps me to stay on tour longer, to be honest.”

Experience will also be on Federer’s side in the Wimbledon championship. This Sunday marks his 29^th Grand Slam final, compared to two for Cilic. However, Federer’s familiarity in these occasions doesn’t mean he will be immune to nerves. The Swiss maestro admitted feeling anxious before his second-round match this fortnight against Dusan Lajovic and said he may be forced to handle nerves before he takes the court against Cilic.

“Sometimes it slows down your legs, your pulse starts racing, your head starts — not spinning, in the sense that you have a million ideas, but you have to take the right one. That can stress you out a tad,” he admitted. “But I always say I’m happy I feel that way because it means I care. It’s not like I’m going through the motions. That would be a horrible feeling.”

Everyone talks about seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer getting older. The Swiss right-hander will turn 36 in less than a month, on 8 August. But at least one of his peers remains unconvinced that he is, in fact, aging.

“I don’t see anything that would indicate Roger is getting older or anything like that. I think he’s just proving his greatness in our sport,” said Tomas Berdych, who fell to Federer 7-6(4), 7-6(4), 6-4 in the Wimbledon semi-finals on Friday. “If you look at the other guys who are 35, 36, I think you can very clearly see that the age and the years on tour are affecting them. But not with him.”

The ageless champion will play in his 11^th Wimbledon final on Sunday when he faces Croatian Marin Cilic. Berdych, who had beaten Federer during their last match-up at SW19, during the 2010 semi-finals, dug in against the fifth seed on Centre Court.

View Federer v Cilic FedEx ATP Head2Head Record

The 6’5” Berdych struck nine aces and saved seven of nine break points against the 18-time Grand Slam champion. Berdych was often the aggressor in the semi-final, charging the net 36 times and winning 20 of those attempts (56 per cent).

“I was trying to find my way. So whatever was possible to do I was trying. I also tried to come a little bit more to the net,” said Berdych, who fell to 6-19 against Federer in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. “But obviously it’s very, very difficult. Roger doesn’t give you any rhythm at all. He’s playing barely with any mistakes. He was controlling the game pretty well. Even those two sets in the tie-breaks, I was still the one facing a couple more break points down… It just shows how well he’s playing right now.”

Berdych was trying to reach his second Wimbledon final, after falling to Rafael Nadal in the 2010 title match. The 31-year-old Czech did well to repeat his semi-final appearance of a year ago. Berdych beat two Top 10 players – No. 8 Dominic Thiem and No. 3 Novak Djokovic – en route to his third Wimbledon semi-final.

“I think I played really good tennis throughout the whole tournament. But I just unfortunately faced a guy who’s playing his best,” Berdych said.

The World No. 15 said he remains undeterred by falling one win short of reaching his second Grand Slam final. “On one hand it is hard. On the other one, it’s a part of the sport I’m doing,” he said. “I’m still fully committed to being around and trying to fight for the results.”