Jan-Lennard Struff looks forward to DTB tournament series - "Cool Idea"
No line judges, no ball kids - but finally fun on the court again: While the tennis world is almost standing still, Germany is pushing ahead with the planning for a new, national series.
by SID
last edit: May 07, 2020, 04:34 pm
The basic structure has been in place since Thursday: It starts in Troisdorf on June 8, and Jan-Lennard Struff and Laura Siegemund have given their commitment as draft horses.
"I think this idea is just cool. The DTB gives many players the opportunity to collect match practice and also earn some money while doing so, so the tournament invitation series is very important to us," said Struff. Davis Cup colleague Dominik Koepfer and double specialist Kevin Krawietz have already agreed. Philipp Kohlschreiber , who is also invited, is missing in the 32-man field, as is top player Alexander Zverev .
The first round will be played in ten different cities, the final games will take place in Großhesselohe (men) and Versmold (women). After the preliminary and an intermediate round, the semi-final round is due before the finalists play for the title. The game is played in groups of four, two groups in parallel at one location.
"I am pleased that the planning of the tournament series continues. It was very well received by the players, which can also be seen in the attractive fields of participation. Everyone involved will benefit from this important action in a difficult situation," said President Ulrich Klaus from the German Tennis Association.
Dominic Thiem in Austria
Curious: The games are to be played "under special conditions" in view of the corona pandemic. The health of the players and everyone involved, as well as compliance with the requirements of the federal and state governments have top priority, said the DTB. For this reason, for example, the matches are only played with a chair umpire and without line judges and ball children.
It goes across the federal states: The preliminary round of the men will be held next to Troisdorf (North Rhine-Westphalia) in Überlingen (Baden-Württemberg), Großhesselohe (Bavaria) and Neuss (North Rhine-Westphalia). The 24-strong competition of women contests the preliminary round in Darmstadt (Hesse), Versmold (North Rhine-Westphalia) and Stuttgart (Baden-Württemberg). In addition to Fed Cup player Siegemund, Anna-Lena Friedsam will also be on the court.
However, Germany is not all alone with its idea: Already on May 25, a national tournament series with 16 men and 8 women starts in Austria, the total prize money is 151,750 euros. Even top star Dominic Thiem has confirmed that even active tennis legend Jürgen Melzer (38) will be there.