Munich: Max Hans Rehberg - decent debut on the ATP tour
Despite the ultimately clear 2: 6, 3: 6 defeat against Miomir Kecmanovic at the ATP Tour 250 tournament in Munich, Max Hans Rehberg delivered an appealing performance on his debut on the "big" tour.
by Florian Heer
last edit: Apr 25, 2022, 07:12 pm
While the 18-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz is shaking up the tennis world, celebrating tournament victories at the highest level and already being among the top ten in the world, things are not looking so good for youngsters in German men's tennis. Just seven players under the age of 25 can be found in the top 500 of the ATP world rankings. If you are looking for the first teenager, you have to look even further down, to be precise at place 1,067, and is associated with the name Max Hans Rehberg.
At the BMW Open by American Express, the 18-year-old from Munich celebrated his debut in the main draw of an ATP tournament on Monday afternoon. In the first round of his home tournament at the Aumeister, however, Rehberg lost in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 to the number 7 seeded Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic. Despite the result, it was a great experience for the youngster under a white and blue sky and in front of a well-filled ranks on center court.
“Of course you are nervous at the beginning. But I did pretty well. I had a few problems with the serve, but that improved over the course of the match," Rehberg commented on his performance. "I wanted to run my arm, change tempo and that worked quite well."
First match against top 50 players
Up to 3-3 in the second half, the momentum seemed to be on Rehberg's side as well and a third set was within the realm of possibility. "He played better tennis at the key moments," the young player had to admit after his first match against a top 50 player.
“Then he was more ripped off than me. I had my chances for a break, but unfortunately I couldn't take them and missed the ball once or twice. I am grateful that I was allowed to play here. It was a very positive experience for the next tournaments," says Rehberg, who will serve in doubles with the three-time Munich champion Philipp Kohlschreiber and also describes this as a "privilege" to be able to compete with a veteran in the tennis circuit.
Entry into the ITF Pro Circuit
After years on the junior tour, where Rehberg climbed to 29th place in the world, the Bavarian has now arrived in the harsh reality of a tennis pro. On the ITF Pro Circuit you have to prove yourself week after week and collect valuable world ranking points.
“It's a different game at seniors level. It's a lot more physical than the juniors. It's also mentally exhausting. You have to give 100% in every service game. Breaks are difficult to equalize again," explains Rehberg.
Monastir, Trento, Antalya were the stations on the ITF Pro Circuit before the right-hander was allowed to compete at the renowned BMW Open with the help of a wild card.
“These tournament series don't really suit me because they're very tough. You don't get anything for free. Every point is hard-fought," says Rehberg, describing the competition at the lower tournament levels of the professional sector.
Munich as the start of the German tennis season
In addition, the lack of international tennis events in Germany turns out to be a disadvantage. While the sixth ATP Challenger tournament of the year will be held in Forli alone in mid-May, the BMW Open at the end of April is the traditional start of the tennis season in German men's tennis. Not exactly the best conditions for young talents to be able to compete in their home country.
Rehberg has to hope for one or the other wild card in the following clay court tournaments on home soil in the next few weeks: Meerbusch, Heilbronn and Troisdorf could be the next destinations. "But that's still in the stars," says Rehberg about his tournament planning in the coming weeks and months.
He is optimistic about the future. When asked what else we can expect from him, he simply replied "victories".