Behind the scenes of the Saturn Oil Open 2022: When two tennis entrepreneurs understand each other and complement each other perfectly

From May 22nd to 29th, 2022, the Saturn Oil Open , an ATP tennis tournament in the Rhine & Ruhr region, will premiere at TC RW-Troisdorf eV. As TennisTraveller on board as a tournament partner for this inaugural event. Today, we'd like to share some behind-the-scenes insights into the new ATP tournament, as there's already plenty of exciting news to report. Two Cologne natives, two tennis entrepreneurs – a shared understanding and an ideal complement to their respective expertise. These are the two organizers of the Saturn Oil Open: Davis Cup champion Marc-Kevin Goellner (51) and tennis entrepreneur Marc Raffel (57). In this interview, the two tennis enthusiasts discuss their motivations, the value, current state, and future prospects of major international tennis events.

The Saturn Oil Open is an event on the ATP Challenger tour. The winner receives 80 ATP points, a substantial cash prize, and the B&B Hotels Tennis Trophy. Our editorial team spoke with the two organizers.

You run a successful tennis academy in Cologne. What motivated you to now be involved as co-tournament director at the ATP-level Saturn Oil Open?

Marc-Kevin Goellner: My acquaintance with Marc Raffel. He has been organizing successful international tennis events for years, in which my junior professionals have regularly participated. One day, we both came up with the idea of ​​launching a joint project, and we quickly realized that we complement each other very well.

The title sponsor of the Saturn Oil Open is headquartered in Canada. How did this partnership come about?

Marc-Kevin Goellner: Over ten years ago, a tennis player and successful investor friend of mine introduced me to Saturn Oil & Gas. I've been in direct contact with the company ever since. I was recently told that around half of Saturn's shareholders are based in German-speaking countries. That's why it made sense to consider the Saturn Oil Open ATP tennis tournament. It's fantastic publicity for the company as the main sponsor because everyone's talking about it, and the money raised directly benefits young people. We also want to use the tournament as a platform to raise funds for the flood victims in the Ahr Valley. Saturn is a crucial supporter of this tournament, and everyone involved benefits from it, all for truly worthy causes. It's also a wonderful gesture when a successful company gives back to the community through its social commitment.

You've been working as an entrepreneur in the tennis scene for several years now. What are your main areas of focus?

Marc Raffel: For many years I worked as a team manager and event organizer for the German record champions BW Neuss. During this time, I signed world stars like Rafael Nadal and Stanislas Wawrinka and had the opportunity to work with them. In total, I have organized twelve ATP and almost 20 ITF tennis tournaments. For several years, I was the spokesperson for the Tennis Bundesliga. With my agency, we advise athletes and have been organizing tennis camps abroad for some time now. For the past two years, I have been running the Sport & Tennis Resort Meerbusch.

The city of Troisdorf now hosts an ATP tennis tournament, while the large, immediately neighboring metropolis of Cologne does not. What are the reasons for this?

Marc-Kevin Goellner: That's a difficult question. I believe that many structures are already very entrenched and find it hard to accept or promote anything new. Fortunately, in Troisdorf, the support for our ATP tournament is very broad. The district administrator, the mayor, and the organizing club are all pulling together with us. And without wanting to overpraise ourselves, Marc Raffel and I do possess a tremendous amount of expertise, which obviously makes events like the Saturn Oil Open possible.

Is the launch of the Saturn Oil Open planned for the long term?

Marc Raffel: Yes, absolutely. First, however, we need to successfully complete the premiere and then move on to further planning. I'm working hard to ensure that the Saturn Oil Open remains on the tournament calendar for years to come, and I believe in its long-term success. The sponsorship mix is ​​exemplary; in addition to Saturn Oil & Gas from Canada, B&B Hotels GmbH, and MK Consulting Hotelmanagement GmbH, many local and regional companies are also on board.

The landscape of professional tennis tournaments in Germany is very limited. Why don't we have more ATP tournaments like the Saturn Oil Open?

Marc-Kevin Goellner: Organizing an event like this takes up an enormous amount of time and responsibility. However, the RW Troisdorf club and the region provide exemplary support. And then you need people who are willing to take risks and get involved. Bringing all of this together is a huge challenge that many shy away from. In my opinion, we should also organize more ITF tournaments in Germany—the beginner tournaments, that is—to create an attractive tournament landscape for young German players. We have one of the largest tennis associations in the world. If each of our regional associations were to host four of these tournaments per year, which they are certainly capable of doing, we could better integrate our young players into the international scene. Currently, it is extremely expensive to finance these tournaments abroad for young players. And the sporting successes are lacking.
"One reason for the current youth development crisis in Germany is certainly an underdeveloped tournament calendar."

With the Saturn Oil Open, you're presenting the third ATP tennis tournament in North Rhine-Westphalia, following the Noventi Open in Halle and the Rhein Asset Open in Meerbusch. How does the Saturn Oil Open fit into the overall German tournament calendar?

Marc Raffel: The German tennis tournament landscape urgently needs new events and a clear strategy. Beyond the major tournaments in Munich, Hamburg, and Halle, there are significant ATP Challenger tournaments in cities like Heilbronn, Braunschweig, Eckenthal, Ismaning, Lüdenscheid, and Meerbusch. These are not only popular events for the entire region but also an important platform for our German professionals. Organizers in this area need much more support from the associations; there's significant room for improvement. One reason for our current lack of young talent in Germany is undoubtedly an underdeveloped tournament calendar. At this point, I would like to highlight the crucial and outstanding commitment of the organizing club, TC RW Troisdorf eV, with President Uwe Maas and Chairmen Volker de Cloedt and Claus Dreser, who are fully dedicated to our project and make it possible in the first place. Such partnerships are exemplary.

Which players do you expect to see at the Saturn Oil Open?

Marc Raffel: You certainly won't find Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, or Roger Federer playing at ATP Challenger tournaments. It's usually top players ranked between 70 and 200 in the ATP rankings, so world-class talent is still guaranteed. As I've already mentioned, I've been organizing an ATP Challenger tournament in Meerbusch for several years. Recently, players like Daniel Altmaier, Oscar Otte, Botic van de Zandschulp, Robin Haase, and Dustin Brown have competed there. Even the French Open champions Krawietz/Mies and Sascha Zverev have participated, among many others.