It should be a German Tennis-summer, it has never been. Not even in times of the great Tennis boom in Germany, the times of Boris Becker and Steffi Graf. Four top-level tournaments, within three weeks of the June 2020 would have usually kept ready. Two men, two for women. And of course, all on grass, the most mythical of all the coverings. The way to Wimbledon, would have led for large parts of the world, elite, Stuttgart, Halle, Berlin and Bad Homburg. Instead, Corona came – and with it everything is all different.
Pirmin Clossé
sports editor.
F. A. Z.
What remained of the hot German Tennis weeks in June left, is, instead, merely a small look at the tournament in Berlin. Or, more precisely, the two said. From this Monday to play in the capital, six women and men, short invitation competitions. To Wednesday on the lawn in the Steffi-Graf-stadium, actually, in this year a women’s tournament would be home. From Friday to Sunday, then on a hard court in Hangar 6 at Tempelhof airport. There are even admitted to a couple of hundred spectators.
Zverev says short-term
The starting field of this from the Austrian tournament organizer Edwin Weindorfer-oriented “bett1aces” is exquisite. And, although with Germany’s top player, Alexander Zverev, one of the most prominent participants in the short term had to be cancelled. The 23-Year-old was recently advised to the public in distress. To avoid the Corona-Hotspot mutant Show-tournament “Adriatic Tour” and to party the videos, which showed him shortly after the break-up of the self-imposed quarantine. Now he wants to concentrate at his home in Monaco on Training with the new Coach of David Ferrer.
“we could have had him, the German number one, a flagship of the event,” said tournament Director Barbara Rittner of the F. A. Z. But “because of history” does not have, you can expect the young star: travel to Berlin. “These things happen in Tennis – that draft horses disappear suddenly. I’m not depressed by it. We have found a great replacement.“
Indeed, the level of despite the refusal of Zverev, and also of the Australian, Nick Kyrgios, is unable to arrive due to the increasing Corona-case figures in his homeland, however, is lifted. The world ranking third, and Australian Open Finalist Dominic Thiem of Austria is the top Favourite when the men. To Matteo Berrettini (8 come with the turf tournament succeeding Italians.) another Top-Ten player, the Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut (12.), the Russian Karen Chatschanow (15.) at the hard court Event, the German number two, Jan-Lennard Struff (34.).
an Additional Highlight for the up to 800 spectators, who are admitted in the Steffi-Graf-stadium, and up to 300 Fans in the Tempelhof Hangar is a temporary Comeback in the German Grand old man Tommy Haas. The 42-Year-old gets it in the first two quarter-finals on Monday with the 24 years younger Toptalent Jannik Sinner from South Tyrol. “He could be my son,” joked Haas in advance. “Maybe I can annoy him a bit.”
