After 35 Years, the WTA Will Return to Athens This Summer With New 250

The WTA Tour is heading back to Athens for the first time in more than three decades.

The WTA announced on Tuesday that the Greek capital will host a WTA 250 event this summer, marking the city’s return to the calendar after a 35-year absence.

The Athens Open is set to take place during the week of July 13, replacing the Jiangxi Open in China. The tournament will be held at the Stadion Sports Center, located within the historic Olympic Tennis Centre, and will be contested on hard courts. A 32-player singles draw and 16-team doubles draw are scheduled for the event.

For Greece’s top player, former World No. 3 Maria Sakkari, the announcement carries special significance.

“To be able to step on court at home and hear the Greek fans will be one of the highlights of my career,” she said in a statment. “Athens is where I first picked up a tennis racket and dreamed of becoming a professional tennis player. For a WTA tournament to come here will be a truly special moment and a great opportunity to showcase Greek tennis and inspire young players.”

The tournament marks the first time Athens has hosted a WTA event since 1990, when the Athens Trophy was last held. In a fitting historical connection, the inaugural edition of that event in 1986 featured Sakkari’s mother, Angeliki Kanellopoulou, who reached the final.

With the addition of Athens, the WTA Tour says it will visit 27 countries and territories this season, underlining the global reach of the sport and its continued growth.