Currently, the event is held on clay courts at the MTTC Iphitos sports complex. Often, the tournament is referred to as the Bavarian International Tennis Championships or the BMW Open, due to sponsorship reasons. The Munich Open has roots back to 1900 when the first Bavarian International Tennis Championships took place at Münchner Tennis- und Turnierclub (MTTC) Iphitos.
However, the event evolved in 1974 when it was first sponsored by the global business giants of BMW and American Express. Originally, the German-based competition was a combined men’s and women’s tennis competition. But the women’s draw ended in 1973.
The competition was also played on grass courts initially before shifting to clay. Each season, high-profile players enter the Munich Open because of its historic and esteemed stature in the game. As a result, highly talented fields compete in the tournament.
This has led to some of the ATP's best-ever achieving success in Bavaria. In 2003, a young Roger Federer won the Munich Open, while the likes of Andy Murray, Ivan Lendl, and Alexander Zverev also lifted the trophy.
In the singles competition, no one player has dominated the Bavarian International for a sustained period. Former German player Philipp Kohlschreiber won the tournament three times. It is a record Kohlschreiber shares with American player Budge Patty, who also won three consecutive Munich Opens between 1954 and 1956.
Also, since 1974, a doubles draw of 16 pairs has taken place alongside the singles event. In the doubles, the former Polish player Wojciech Fibak won the tournament a record three times with three different partners. Fibak’s most famous win at the Munich Open came in 1984 when he won the event alongside German great Boris Becker.
