DTB sports director Klaus Eberhard - "Thought Austria gets the wildcard"
For the presentation of the extended TennisBase in Oberhaching also DTB Sport Director Klaus Eberhard has gone to the south of Munich. And the questions asked by tennisnet.com .
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Dec 08, 2019, 09:02 am
tennisnet : Mr. Eberhard. What is the goal of the German Tennis Federation at a base such as Tennisbase Oberhaching?
Klaus Eberhard : There are two goals for the DTB: first of all, the basic training for the players so that they can even enter the international arena. The conditions are perfect here. The second goal is that we can offer the professional players a training facility in Germany where the conditions are optimal. That's right, too.
tennisnet : At what age does the DTB intervene for the first time in the youth field?
Eberhard : So far we have only intervened with the D / C squad, a transitional squad, as prescribed by the DOSB. He was up to 14 years. This area has been absorbed by the state associations so far, we started at 15. We want to change this conceptually, to get involved with the 12-year-olds. Of course, not yet international, so far we are not yet. That's not necessary, I think. But we want to be supportive in the structures.
tennisnet : At the US Open, the DTB each had a starter at the girls and a starter at the boys. At the Australian Open there will now be several teenagers participating in the Junior Grand Slam. Why this increase? And how does the DTB support these players?
Eberhard : We have certainly been underrepresented in recent years. That is not our claim to be one or two players in these tournaments. That was a long time ago but also very different. We'll be in Australia with six or seven players, maybe eight. That's because we have responded in the past one or two years and looked after the 15- and 16-year-old internationally much better. Since we have found the connection. But that is very costly for parents and national associations. The fact that we have been in federal funding for some years now gives us a lot more opportunities at the DTB.
"The Davis Cup is another competition"
tennisnet : Where can the DTB help with the transition from junior to adult tennis?
Eberhard : Between the ages of 16 and 18 you can still work in small groups, travel in small groups, that's how you do it internationally. But we are looking for individual solutions for our best players. This goes so far that we provide individual trainers to one-to-one care. But that is very individual: one player fits the one player and vice versa. Sometimes it is the case that a coach fits a player but is not a national coach. Then we support this cooperation financially.
tennisnet : A big leap in the subject: you were at the Davis Cup Final tournament in Madrid. What were your impressions?
Eberhard : First of all, it was amazing how the playing fixtures were made. It is not feasible to play three rounds twice a day. They played until three or four in the morning. We were fortunate that we had twice the morning meetings. Regardless, I believe the 18-team event is too compact in a week. This is of course an away game for all non-Spanish teams. A poorly attended. It had some weaknesses. The old Davis Cup, which the DTB has represented in this way, is definitely not there anymore. It is another competition.
tennisnet : The wildcards for the coming year were awarded to Serbia and France. Has the DTB also applied for one?
Eberhard : The DTB has applied for the wildcard. We thought that Serbia would get one because of Novak Djokovic. Because we assume that the Djokovic want to have again as a player. In the second wildcard I would have thought that this is going to Austria, because of Dominic Thiem. I do not know why France got it now. We actually saw each other better. Well, now we have a home game against Belarus. It is certainly nice that we can show ourselves at home. And I hope with Alexander Zverev, even if that could be a bit complicated from the diary.