ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The WTA announced Thursday the Bad Homburg Open powered by Solarwatt will be staged as a WTA 500 tournament for the 2024 season.

The grass-court event in Germany was previously staged as a 250-level tournament on the Hologic WTA Tour since 2021, with Angelique Kerber, Caroline Garcia and most recently Katerina Siniakova crowned as champions.

’The change in status is a huge vote of confidence by Wimbledon and the WTA in the tournament location Bad Homburg," tournament director Aljoscha Thron said. For us, it is an important step into the future as an integral part of the prestigious grass-court season prior to Wimbledon."

The prize money for the Bad Homburg Open will be tripled to almost $ 1 million (U.S. dollars 923,000) with a clear pathway to equal prize money by 2027. In addition, twice as many rankings points (500) will be awarded for the winner as in previous years.

As for the player field, the revised calendar will feature a strengthening of the top-tier events, such as Bad Homburg, with a focus on delivering the best talent each week in a consistent and clear manner. A worldwide TV broadcast increase in up to 168 markets is guaranteed, which will put the tournament even more into the international spotlight.

This year, the Bad Homburg Open will begin on June 24 and will be permanently upgraded in 2025 to a WTA 500 event.

Click here to see the full 2024 Hologic WTA Tour calendar.