Experience the Swiss Open in Gstaad
Gstaad's ATP clay-court tennis tournament running since 1898, played at the 4,500-seat Roy Emerson Arena against an improbable Bernese Oberland backdrop.
Gstaad hosts most things with a degree of fanfare, but the Swiss Open has been arriving without introduction since 1898. One of Europe’s longest-running tennis tournaments, it is played on outdoor clay courts set against the Bernese Oberland’s improbable backdrop, a combination that produces a sporting atmosphere unlike anything found in the major stadium venues.
The Roy Emerson Arena seats 4,500 spectators, and the surrounding grounds expand into a village of stalls and fanfare with the particular social energy of a Swiss summer crowd who understand that watching tennis on clay in the mountains is a fine way to spend an afternoon. The tournament is ATP-ranked, which means the standard of play is serious; the setting, however, is relaxed in a way that Wimbledon resolutely is not.
For visitors not primarily attending as tennis fans, the Swiss Open provides a natural anchor to a summer day in Gstaad. The stadium is compact enough that every seat offers a clear view, the mountain air keeps the temperature reasonable even in July, and the pace of clay-court matches (unhurried by design) allows plenty of time to engage with the food and drink on offer between changeovers.
The tournament runs each July and has consistently attracted top-ranked players. For the sports-adjacent traveller who wants to combine alpine scenery with live sport, it delivers both without requiring any particular dedication to either.
Put it on the agenda for a summer trip. It has been worth attending for over a century.
