German tennis history
German tennis history begins as early as 1880. From 1902, the German Tennis Association largely determined the further development.
The first German tennis clubs were established in 1879 and 1881 in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe and Baden-Baden . Two tennis clubs were founded in Baden-Baden: the Lawn Tennis Society “Im Spechten Garten” and the Baden-Baden LTC, which was re-established in 1893 under the name Baden-Baden International Lawn Tennis Club. Between 1883 and 1890 (July) 13 further tennis clubs were founded in Breisgau , Kassel , Essen , Strasbourg , Hamburg , Nuremberg , Elberfeld (now part of Wuppertal ), Duisburg , Cannstatt , Bad Ems and Heidelberg .
In 1892 so-called International German Championships took place on the facility of the ice rink club on the Uhlenhorst (today Klipper THC ). The internationality, however, only exists in the eligibility for Austria . A few days after the opening on August 27, 1892, the tournament had to be interrupted because cholera was raging in Hamburg. A month later, the winner was 19-year-old Walter Bonne. It was not until 1897 that really "open" international championships took place. From 1898 to 1901 the tournament was held in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe.
From 1902
The German Lawn Tennis Association was founded in 1902 and the German Open was held for the first time at Rothenbaum in Hamburg, where it was held alternately with the Uhlenhorst until the First World War .
In the early years of the 20th century, one player in particular caused a stir. Otto Froitzheim , who impressed with his tough safety tennis, was multiple international German champion and in 1912 even world champion on hard courts.
In 1911 the organization of the Association of German Tennis Teachers (VDT) was founded. In the same year the German Pro Championships began as tournaments in professional tennis. In 1913, the German team in the Davis Cup, which was then still known as the International Lawn Tennis Challenge , defeated the French Davis Cup team 4-1. It was the first Davis Cup match for Germany that took place on the tennis courts of the spa administration on the flower meadow in Wiesbaden. Oscar Kreuzer , Friedrich-Wilhelm Rahe and Heinrich Kleinschroth played for the German team .
At first, Germany had not submitted a report for the International Lawn Tennis Challenge 1914 - it was only Otto Froitzheim's good performance at Wimbledon that led to a change of opinion. The Australians and the Germans met in Pittsburgh, the end result was 0-5. Oscar Kreuzer and Otto Froitzheim then took the first fast ship to Europe. In the vicinity of Gibraltar , this was forced into port by a British cruiser, as the First World War had broken out shortly before . The two German tennis players were arrested and taken to an internment camp in England . Between 1914 and 1919 Germany was excluded from the international tennis scene, so that the championships were canceled. Froitzheim und Kreuzer was allowed to return home in 1918 when the war was over.
From 1924 the facility at Rothenbaum became the location of the German championships. In the same year, under the chairman of the VDT, Willi Hannemann, the professional organization VDT was subdivided into four districts or regional groups:
- North German district based in Berlin
- Central German district with seat in Magdeburg
- West German district with seat in Wiesbaden
- Southern German district with headquarters in Munich
The German Tennis Federation (DTB) was only re-admitted to the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) in 1926 . Participation in the International Lawn Tennis Challenge and other international tournaments was denied to German players until then.
Gottfried von Cramm , Henner Henkel , Hans Nüsslein , Hilde Sperling-Krahwinkel and Cilly Aussem caused a sensation on an international level. "Baron" Gottfried von Cramm won the French International Championships twice. At Wimbledon , he just missed the big triumph in his three finals appearances. After Boris Becker , he is the best German player of all time. What Gottfried von Cramm was denied, Cilly Aussem succeeded. Born in Cologne, she became the first German Wimbledon winner. After Cilly Aussem and Henner Henkel, who made it to third position in the world rankings, the German Tennis Association named its junior team competitions (Henner Henkel games, Cilly outer games).
The tennis mecca Wimbledon saw a German Miss Miracle in 1931. For the first time, two German tennis women contested the individual finals on the “Holy Lawn”. The winner and first German title holder was, after her 6: 2 and 7: 6 over Hilde Krahwinkel, Cilly Aussem. The 21-year-old Aussem had previously won the French Open . Hilde Krahwinkel, who had renounced the Olympics as a track and field athlete, was already in the mixed final of Wimbledon in 1930.
From 1945
After the Second World War , you had to start all over again in German tennis. There were neither rackets nor balls, many tennis facilities were devastated, and so it was actually a miracle that in 1948 it was possible to play for the title of International German Champion on Rothenbaum again.
In 1953 the VDT was divided into districts as follows:
- District 1: Berlin and the GDR
- District 2: Hamburg, Bremen, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony
- District 3: North Rhine-Westphalia
- District 4: Rhineland-Palatinate
- District 5: Baden-Württemberg
- District 6: Bavaria
Over time, the number of regional associations grew, so that a reorganization of the districts became necessary.
On August 7, 1955 at the age of 46, Gottfried Freiherr von Cramm, known as "the Crown Prince of Wimbledon", was the last German tennis champion in doubles with his American partner Budge Patty at Hamburg's Rothenbaum . Between 1932 and 1953 he played a total of 102 Davis Cup matches in singles and doubles (82 wins) and won a total of 27 German titles. After the Second World War, he rebuilt the LTTC Rot-Weiß Berlin. On November 9, 1976, at the age of 67, he was killed in a car accident on a desert road off Cairo .
In the 1960s Wilhelm Bungert stepped into the spotlight, with him a German player was again in the final of the grass tournament at Wimbledon in 1967 after 30 years. The multiple German champion Bungert was defeated by the Australian John Newcombe in front of 14,800 spectators with 3: 6, 1: 6 and 1: 6. In his previous games, he had to walk the full distance of five sets four times. Bungert had already reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 1963 and 1964. The man from Mannheim still holds a record today: 101 Davis Cup appearances. He also led Germany to the first final of the Cup in Cleveland in 1970 . Under the leadership of Captain Ferdinand Henkel, Germany lost 5-0 to the USA. Wilhelm Bungert and Christian Kuhnke lost their singles against Arthur Ashe and Cliff Richey and also in doubles against Stan Smith and Bob Lutz . The way to the final had taken them within a month via the then hippie pilgrimage site Poona, where India was beaten 5-0, and a 4-1 in the Düsseldorf Rheinstadion via Spain to Ohio. Bungert's female counterpart was Helga Masthoff . She took part in 56 Federation Cup matches and left the place as the winner 38 times.
Beginning of the Open Era
In 1968 the tennis system was renewed internationally. It was the beginning of the Open Era . The professionals were allowed to take part in tournaments together with the amateurs. 1969 was the first time officially played for prize money at Rothenbaum. In total, it was about $ 17,500.
In those years tennis moved out of an isolation that had been a matter of course half a century before and was the result of social class differences. The class differences no longer existed in this harsh form - and the economic miracle had helped people feel better. Social achievements had also led to more free time. Not only the social rules changed, but also those that directly affected the game - for example the introduction of the tie-break. Another innovation that changed the entire character of tournament tennis was the introduction of a ranking list that was calculated by the computer. In 1973 the ATP presented this list for the first time.
The golden 1980 years
At the beginning of the 1980s, the number of members in the clubs exceeded the million mark and doubled to over two million in just ten years.
Sylvia Hanika was the first German to win the Masters in 1982 . The 22-year-old from Ottendichl near Munich was able to convert a 1: 6 and 1: 3 deficit against the highly popular Martina Navrátilová into a win. In front of 15,081 spectators, she won with 1: 6, 6: 3 and 6: 4, for which she received prize money of 239,000 DM. The tournament victory was also surprising because Hanika had only just survived the consequences of a serious car accident. Her best world ranking position was fifth.
Three years later, on July 7, 1985, tennis fever finally broke out in Germany. The 17-year-old Boris Becker won the title at Wimbledon. In the final, the surprise finalist beat South African Kevin Curren in four sets. In Germany, 11.19 million people (31 percent audience rating) watched the triumphal procession of the youngest Wimbledon winner to date. Two more titles and three finals should follow. In 1991 Becker was at the top of the world rankings and again reached the final at Wimbledon. There he was defeated by Michael Stich , who won his first and only Grand Slam title. In 1992 they both won the Olympic gold medal in Barcelona .
In 1988 Germany won the Davis Cup for the first time: Boris Becker, Carl-Uwe Steeb , Eric Jelen and Patrik Kühnen won against Sweden under team boss Niki Pilić . In 1989 Germany defeated the Swedish team again, this time 3-2. In 1993 Michael Stich led the Davis Cup team and brought the Cup to Germany for the third and so far last time.
The German women also dominated the international competition. Steffi Graf surpassed all previous records. Between 1986 and 1999 she won 107 individual titles. For eight years, she finished the season number one in the world rankings, which she led for 377 weeks. In 1988 she crowned her career with the " Golden Slam ", victories at all four Grand Slam tournaments and the Olympic Games in Seoul . She became the most successful tennis player of all time. In 1987 Steffi Graf and Claudia Kohde-Kilsch led the German Federation Cup team as single players to a victory against defending champions USA in Vancouver. In 1992 the German team with Steffi Graf, Anke Huber , Sabine Hack and Barbara Rittner won the Federation Cup for the second time. Under the leadership of Klaus Hofsäss, they won the final against Spain in Frankfurt am Main.
In 1999, in her last professional year, Steffi Graf convinced after a difficult start to the season at the French Open. In the final, the German met the Swiss Martina Hingis and won 4: 6, 7: 5, 6: 2. Weeks later Graf was again in a Grand Slam final, but at Wimbledon she lost 4-6 and 5-7 to Lindsay Davenport . On August 13, 1999, she announced her final resignation from active tennis. She was officially adopted during the Masters in New York's Madison Square Garden.
Competitions
International German Open
With a million dollar prize money, the International German Open in Hamburg am Rothenbaum is Germany's most highly endowed tennis tournament. The "International German Tennis Championships" have been held in Hamburg since 1892.
The clay court tournament belonged to the ATP Masters Series until 2008 and to the ATP World Tour 500 since 2009 . Since then, 48 single players and 16 double pairs have formed the starting field. The only German winner in the Open Era singles was Michael Stich in 1993 . During this time, only Jürgen Faßbender and Hans-Jürgen Pohmann (1973 and 1974) won the tournament in doubles .
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the most important team competition in men's tennis. Once a year the Davis Cup is played out between different nations in various groups and rounds. Each round between two national teams is played in four singles and one double over three days. The organizer is the International Tennis Federation. The German home games are organized by the German Tennis Association.
The German team has won the title three times so far:
- 1988 : 4-1 against Sweden (in Gothenburg )
- 1989 : 3-2 against Sweden (in Stuttgart )
- 1993 : 4-1 against Australia (in Düsseldorf )
Fed Cup
The Fed Cup (until 1995 Federation Cup) is the most important team competition in women's tennis. In 1995 the event was adapted to the Davis Cup mode. Since then, four singles and one doubles have been played over two days. The organizer is the International Tennis Federation. The German home games are organized by the German Tennis Association.
The German women have already won the Fed Cup twice:
- 1987 : 2-1 against USA (in Vancouver )
- 1992 : 2-1 against Spain (in Frankfurt am Main )
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ https://vdttennis.wordpress.com
- ↑ Hans Nüsslein . International Tennis Hall of Fame Museum. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
- ↑ a b http://www.vdt-tennis.de/JubiVDT/contents/home/regio.html
- ^ German Tennis Federation (ed.): Tennis in Germany. From the beginning until 2002. Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-428-10846-9 . P. 89f.
- ↑ http://www.itftennis.com/about/organisation/history.aspx