German Men´s and Austrian Pro Series - "Correct that we play it like this"
The German Men´s Series is about to reach its semi-final, the Generali Austrian Pro Series has found its winner in Dominic Thiem. Both tournament series serve primarily as preparation for the soon-to-be-return ATP tour. And serve their purpose.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Jun 30, 2020, 12:43 pm
"We play real tennis." This is how organizer Alexander Antonitsch described the matches of the Generali Austrian Pro Series. And that means that there will be no experiments regarding the counting method (for example, the Adria tour was played in Fast 4 mode) or even a possible time limit (as with the Ultimate Tennis Showdown with four quarters of ten minutes each). No: best-of-three, tie-break in all sets, that's what it looked like in the federal performance center in Südstadt.
And after the DTB in person, especially Dirk Hordorff and Antonitsch, had a close exchange, the various locations such as Neuss, Mühlheim / Ruhr (as a replacement for Versmold), Großhesselohe or the DTB base in Oberhaching also have classic battles for victories. A decision that resonates with most of those involved.
"I think it's just right that we play it that way," said German Davis Cup captain Michael Kohlmann in an interview with tennisnet. “Because that's how it is played on the tour. Our concern was to give the players a match practice. And that is not possible with sentences up to four and also with no-ad. If at some point these are the rules on the tour, you can talk about them. ”
Michael Kohlmann sees rising levels
Kohlmann played the matches mainly in Großhesselohe and Oberhaching, where Lars Uebel is the sporting director. Who has no objection. "If it really stays that the ATP tour should start again on August 14th, then that is actually optimal timing," said Uebel last week. "Because after the series ends, players have about three weeks to regenerate and adjust to the flooring on which they'll start."
So the participants are far from reaching their goal. “You can see very good phases during the matches - but also huge holes every now and then. With all players. But what is normal after such a long break. I hope that in the end we will reach a level that corresponds to the ATP tour, ”said Michael Kohlmann.
Lars Uebel can offer his players goals
In any case, there is no shortage of goals for players outside the top 100, as Lars Uebel explains. “We were assured that the Challenger tour would start at the same time as the ATP tour. In the Cincinnati week, when the qualification for the US Open should have taken place, there will be two 125cc Challenger, one in the USA, one in Europe. ”
And maybe unexpectedly a few places will be available for the second major of 2020. "It's not like 128 people would say we don't play in New York," says Uebel. "There will be 128 players flying to New York because they will pick up the $ 60,000 there."
Uebel observes the showdowns between USTA and ATP (and also within ATP) from a distance - but naturally very interested. “Andrea Gaudenzi is also facing a difficult situation: if we don't act together, then he can't exert as much pressure. I cannot judge what Gaudenzi did. But at the moment it is certain that there is a difficult situation between the Council and the players. "