Alex Stober in the tennisnet interview: "It all started with Michael Stich"
Alex Stober has worked as a physiotherapist with some of the all-time greats in tennis: Michael Stich, Pete Sampras, Gustavo Kuerten, Andre Agassi, Angelique Kerber and most recently with Dominic Thiem. In the first part of the big tennisnet interview, Stober describes his entry into the tennis business, the tough years on the ATP tour and working with Gustavo Kuerten.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Mar 12, 2022, 07:57 am
tennisnet : Mr. Stober. You have been one of the most renowned physiotherapists in professional tennis for several decades. How did it all actually start?
Alex Stober : I really have to look into myself, that's a long time ago. After completing my training as a physiotherapist, I quickly got into a sports rehabilitation clinic. Through my boss at the time, we had a number of well-known international athletes come to us for treatment. I had contact with professionals relatively early on, which was a great challenge, especially compared to my other colleagues who worked with "normal" patients. So I got thrown into this pool pretty quickly.
tennisnet : Where was this clinic located?
Stober : That was in Zirnsdorf, near Nuremberg. Our clinic was the Kneippbad Zirndorf, as patients we had Balazs Taroczy from Hungary or the Czech Tomas Smid. World-class players at the time, plus a lot of footballers. And so I got an offer from the tennis Bundesliga team in Nuremberg early on, which I took on alongside my work in the clinic. This is how my love for tennis came about.
tennisnet : But it was a bigger step from the Bundesliga to professional tennis.
Stober : Of course. But I made good contacts and a few world-class players asked me why I didn't apply to the ATP. I did that at a time when the ATP had just moved from Paris to Monte Carlo. I applied, very persistently, by the way, and eventually got invited to an interview. I gladly accepted - and I got the job.
tennisnet : Was there something like an adjustment phase?
Stober - "I have learned to find quick solutions"
Stober : No. I was immediately sent to Frankfurt for the ATP World Championship, among the eight best players in the world. That's where I met the greats, you could feel the mutual enthusiasm - and that's how I got into professional tennis in 1989.
tennisnet : How many physiotherapists were employed by ATP at that time?
Stober : Compared to today, that was an absolute joke. We were four people worldwide and we had a few part-time therapists who supported us in the big tournaments. It was a hell of a lot of work, but I also learned to find quick solutions so that the players were reasonably fit and able to play again the next day. I had to learn to treat differently, which was an incredible maturing process for me.
tennisnet : And: what has changed since you started professional tennis?
Stober : The philosophy regarding our profession has changed incredibly. Today there's a lot more osteopathic therapies, dry needling, all the manipulation techniques - all of that has been tremendously revolutionized in the last 20 years. To have quick solutions for certain problems.
"Threw smaller tournaments alone"
tennisnet : What does the physiotherapist need for successful treatment at tournaments?
Stober : A massage bench and my hands. And my knowledge.
tennisnet : What did your entry into the professional scene look like in practice?
Stober : The first years at ATP were very, very hard. I had to look after up to 34 tournaments a year, especially smaller ones like today's 250cc. Especially in Italy, also in Germany. At the Grand Slams there were two of us as ATP physios and we still had local help. It wasn't until 1992 that we realized that we needed to be much better organized. And that we should form a medical board. We needed qualified sports doctors, orthopedists. That wasn't the case in the past: A lot of doctors were simply buddies of tournament directors, so you didn't know what they had their doctorate for. Everything has gone extreme these days. Back then I threw smaller tournaments all by myself. Three or four people had to be treated at the same time. It was a big challenge, but it was also a lot of fun. After ten years, a certain tiredness has already set in.
tennisnet : In contrast to physiotherapists, who are allowed - or have to - look after entire teams: What is your approach in the tennis circus?
Stober : As an individual supervisor, you put your heart and soul into it and see the body as an overall concept. The treatments take a lot of time and intensity. It doesn't matter whether this treatment lasts one or two hours. You stop when you are satisfied.
tennisnet : wait a minute! If you say that as a physio - or the player?
Stober : If I say so.
Gustavo Kuerten - charismatic and funny
tennisnet : After your time at ATP, how did you become the personal physiotherapist of some absolute world stars?
Stober : The first offers were very tempting. It started with Michael Stich. Unfortunately, that didn't last very long because Michael had to end his career early due to a shoulder problem. Luckily I was in high demand afterwards and have been working as a personal physio trainer since 2000. You leave a fingerprint over the years that players can use to tell what you're capable of. If you then help players to win tournaments, word gets around among your colleagues.
tennisnet: Even after Michael Stich, the list of your clients reads like an all-star list: Pete Sampras, Gustavo Kuerten, Rainer Schüttler, Paradorn Srichaphan, Andre Agassi, Tommy Haas, Li Na, Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber and Dominic Thiem. And with all of them you made it into the top ten or kept it there. You don't even know where to start - maybe with Kuerten?
Stober : During my time at ATP, I was also responsible for the German Davis Cup team, which I ultimately had to leave because Boris Becker brought his own team with him at the time. But then I was approached by the Brazilians very quickly - and looked after the team there for five years. That was great fun. Also because of the incredible celebrations after the victories. After my collaboration with Sampras ended, Larry Passos asked me if I would like to work with Guga. An extremely appealing task considering how charismatic and funny Guga was. great player I always called him "nodding dog". Unfortunately, his hip soon suffered damage, mainly because of this openly played forehand.
In the second part of the interview, Alex Stober will talk about the time with Li Na, Dominic Thiem next week and praise Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.