Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Stuttgart
(19th April 2026)
My second tennis trip of the year, and second new location! At first glance you might think Brisbane would double-bagel Stuttgart in terms of whereabouts and weather, but the latter put up a decent fight - there was plenty of green space to roam through, an eclectic choice of museums, and the rainfall was confined to a couple of days.
The workload was light, which afforded me ample time to explore; I clocked up some good mileage with my own two feet, maintaining my recent uptick in 5k runs (including a PB, thankyouverymuch) as well as several lengthy wanders around the city. I visited two museums during my stay, which could not have been more different:
The Porsche Museum was my first pick after a coin-flip; both Porsche’s and Mercedes’ HQs are in Stuttgart along with their respective museums – plus every other building seemed to bear one of their badges – so it felt appropriate to visit at least one of them. The layout of the museum was unsurprisingly efficient, leading museumgoers through the decades and the greatest hits from Porsche’s impressive portfolio. I was transfixed at the pristine condition of the vehicles, but I didn’t find it a particularly interesting experience – dull, dare I say – as there was very little to engage with beyond the numerous cars and their little placards.
Later in the week, I stumbled upon the perfect antidote to that sterile experience, the SchweineMuseum – Pig Museum to you! It’s a surprisingly large two-floor exhibit, and each room is filled to the brim with every conceivable kind of piggy paraphernalia you could think of. I don’t know what possessed Erika Wilhelmer to start her collection, but it’s undeniably impressive, both in scale and silliness! I had a good few chuckles as I traversed each room, and more than one moment where I felt like I’d wandered into a serial killer’s mansion.
There was, bizarrely, a piece that both museums had on display; Porsche’s 917/20 (its 1971 Le Mans entrant) was initially considered a toughie to drive, or a ‘pig’, so it rocked up in pink livery outlining the various cuts of meat you’d find on its namesake! Unsurprisingly, a ‘Die Sau’ doppelganger made an appearance in the SchweineMuseum.
On the job front, my week of work went by without a worry. After some horribly long solo days, I was rewarded with two lightning-quick finals on the last day – dankeschon to Elena Rybakina in the singles and Nicole Melichar-Martinez & Liudmila Samsonova in the doubles (if you think those names are long, you should’ve seen the score bug onscreen!). The winning singles player receives – you guessed it – their very own Porsche, and Rybakina performed the traditional drive onto court in her new ride. She won this event two years ago when she didn’t have a driver’s licence, but she reassured everyone that she’d since passed her test – in her other Porsche!!!