Mats Wilander: "I currently love women's tennis"
Mats Wilander - a great name in the tennis world! The 55-year-old Swede is coming to the "Upper Austria Ladies Linz" for the second time this year on the final weekend at the invitation of tournament director Sandra Reichel and tournament ambassador Barbara Schett. Wilander has won seven Grand Slam tournaments in his great career (a total of 33 ATP titles) and was number one in the world rankings on September 12, 1988.
by press release
last edit: Oct 05, 2019, 07:59 pm
Since Roland Garros in 2005, Mats Wilander (55) has been working with Barbara Schett (43) at Eurosport. In the beginning, Schett was responsible for other parts of the show such as "Babs undercover". The show was long called "Game, Set and Mats"; but in 2017 Schett's name was added on an equal footing to multiple viewer notices: "Game, Schett and Mats"! Both have long had a close friendship, as the former world-class player from Sweden tells in an interview. In addition, the seven-time major winner talks about his love for current women's tennis.
Mats, you already visited our tournament in 2017. What memories do you have of it? Have you already worn the lederhosen we gave you?
Wilander: "No, I haven't worn my lederhosen in public yet (laughs)! I remember that great tennis was played in Linz and that the tournament had a great atmosphere. You could feel the long tradition. The audience was incredibly supportive and enthusiastic. "
Our tournament ambassador "Babsi" Schett is your Eurosport moderation colleague. What do you like about her? Human and professional?
Wilander: “First of all, Barbara is a great friend. I have known her for a long time - not only since we became Eurosport colleagues. She has a very positive outlook on life and her job. It is very easy to work by your side. There are no unsolvable problems for them. And she is always extremely well prepared for every shipment. That's why I can't tell too much nonsense because it constantly challenges me live on air. Every Grand Slam day with her is therefore a structured adventure in which both facts and opinions are important. She was also a great player herself. That makes it even more interesting when I talk to her about tennis. She knows tennis almost as well as I do ... (laughs). "
You told us two years ago that you are a fan of current women's tennis. What is your résumé of women's tennis 2019?
Wilander: “I currently love women's tennis because there is an incredible density. For many players, everyone can beat anyone at any time. It is very difficult to type the tournament winner - that's what makes it so exciting. Compared to men's tennis, where only Novak, Rafa and Roger still win the Grand Slams. I also find the young players very complete in their technique - and they are great athletes: their footwork, physical strength and flexibility are amazing. Maybe tennis players are the best athletes ever - across all sports. And finally, the current generation in women's tennis shows immense passion, attitude and body language. "