Benjamin Hassan - The marathon winner is now serving for Lebanon
Benjamin Hassan made headlines in the tennis world a few days ago. After no fewer than twelve match balls saved, number 315 in the world rankings was able to defeat Austrian Lucas Miedler in three sets in the first round of the ATP Challenger in Banja Luka. An entry in the record books will be certain for him.
by Florian Heer
last edit: Aug 28, 2022, 11:53 pm
Hassan was born to Lebanese parents in February 1995 in Merzig. His father fled to Germany at the age of 17 during the civil war. The mother was still a child at the time and both later got to know and love each other in Saarland. Hassan has both German and Lebanese citizenship. He represents Lebanon in the Davis Cup. However, he was always active under the German flag on the ATP tour. This has changed over the course of this season.
We discussed how this came about and how he felt about the strange match in Bosnia-Herzegovina with the 27-year-old on the sidelines of the Internationeaux de Toulouse ATP Challenger. In southern France we met him for an interview.
tennisnet: Hello, Benjamin. What are your first impressions of the new Challenger in Toulouse?
Benjamin Hassan : First time here and arrived at night. Actually, I should have competed in the qualifiers, but happened to be in the main draw because a few players withdrew. I'm glad I don't have to compete immediately today. The pitches are looking very good and the weather is nice.
tennisnet : Despite the qualification for the US Open being held at the same time, there are many Challenger tournaments on the calendar this season. That's probably an advantage for players who didn't make it into the Grand Slam field?
Hassan : For me that's definitely true as I'm in the position of being top seed in qualifying but not always getting straight into the main draws. However, last week in Banja Luka I forgot to register for the main draw and had to go through qualifying.
tennisnet : And there was a special match against Lucas Miedler in the first round of the main field. Can you tell me what happened there from your point of view?
Hassan : I didn't really realize it (laughs). It was a tough match. I didn't play well and Lucas made it difficult for me. There were a few unforced errors too many and I lost the first set 4-6 and was 1-5 down in the second set. But I stuck with it anyway and played with this “anything and everything” attitude. I said to myself "Hit it again" and then I hit a few things straight away. Of course, to fend off 12 match points, you also need a good portion of luck. All you have to do is hit a ball with the frame and that's it and you've lost. But it was also a little bit about the attitude not to give up despite the deficit.
tennisnet : Did you realize in the match how many match balls you had fended off?
Hassan : I spoke to a player right after the match who asked me if I had to save match points and I said, "Yeah, about five." I only found out later that there were twelve. I had never heard of that number before. Then there was the way I played the points: serve-and-volley once, a passing shot with a short-cross middle grip. There were a few things there. That's luck, but that's tennis and it was good for me.
tennisnet : More than half of the season is behind us. What is your conclusion so far?
Hassan : Very good, as I had a brief dip, especially last year. I was in 500th place and had a lot of doubts about whether I would still want to do it. But I stuck with it and hired a mental coach because I had given up a lot of encounters. But I wanted to attack again and since then it's been going very well.
tennisnet : How exactly does the communication between you work?
Hassan : We always keep in touch when I play. He follows the matches via the live stream and can analyze it. However, that's not easy because you can't see my facial expressions. Only the body language is understandable. But we see each other in training phases and it helps me a lot. Otherwise, I continue to train with Dominik Meffert, who is currently at the US Open with Tim Pütz.
tennisnet : What has changed, however, is the nationality for which you compete. Why are you playing for Lebanon now?
Hassan : I haven't switched. That was simply changed by the ATP. I never actively approached them and said that I would like to change the flag under which I would like to compete. I have both citizenships and to my knowledge they are not allowed to do so either without my consent. A buddy, Johannes Haerteis, only drew my attention to this after I called. I knew nothing about it. After the Davis Cup with Lebanon, I'll try to clarify things and probably play for Germany again.
tennisnet: What is your current situation? What else can we expect from you?
Hassan : For me it's always about having fun in the sport and on the tour. However, I am currently in a phase in which I also look at the ranking and the points. I still need about 40 or 50 points to qualify for the Australian Open. Playing Grand Slam qualifiers is still a dream I want to fulfill. But I try to take it easy without building up too much pressure.
tennisnet : There are some voices that say Benjamin Hassan is such a talented tennis player, but hasn't tickled the last bit out of himself. What would you say to that?
Hassan : These people are probably right. I used to leave a lot behind. However, I can say that I am doing a lot for it today. I train every day, also with a lot of conditioning sessions. I invest in the sport both physically and financially. However, I let the youth sector slide completely. It wasn't until he was 21 that he really wanted to play tennis.
tennisnet: Why was that?
Hassan : There was certainly laziness involved. Also, I didn't want to become a tennis pro. I did my Abitur as normal and started studying English and sports to become a teacher. Then came the first Koblenz Open, for which I received a wild card and lost in three sets against Teymuraz Gabashvili, who was around 100 in the world rankings at the time. I ate him in the first set, but I wasn't physically fit enough. That's when I realized that I wouldn't be that far off without training. So what happens if I start really accelerating? I did that afterwards, dropped out of university and concentrated on tennis. Then everything happened very quickly. I played a few futures and got into the top 500. Now I'm in a phase where I'm a bit stuck at position 300, also because of Corona, but I'm staying positive.
tennisnet : You have already briefly mentioned the financial aspect. Many players in these areas of the world rankings have to end their professional career at some point because they simply can no longer afford it. How was that for you? Did you get support in this regard?
Hassan: Unfortunately, it never worked out with a personal sponsor. I've tried, texted a lot of people, but you need a lot of luck and a tennis-mad millionaire who really cares about you. But like many other German players, I do it through the Bundesliga. With the matches we play there, we more or less finance the entire season. Without this income, the majority of players outside the top 150 would no longer be able to play. This year, however, I wanted to focus on the tour. If you do well in the tournaments, you eventually get prize money.
tennisnet : What does your further timetable look like for the coming weeks?
Hassan : After Toulouse I would like to play in Tulln. I was there last year and really liked it. Then comes the Davis Cup against Monaco in Lebanon, followed by preparation for the hard court season.
tennisnet : Then good luck and thank you for the interesting conversation