World record attempt in long-term tennis for a good cause
On the morning of August 11, 2022, Friedrich Nowak and Karl Straßberger from Mürztal start a four-day world record attempt in Schwöbing/Langenwang, accompanied by a charity festival.
by press release
last edit:
Aug 05, 2022, 01:13 pm
Langenwang, August 11, 2022, 7 a.m. sharp. Friedrich Nowak and Karl Straßberger will open a world record attempt and a tennis match according to ATP rules at this point, which should only end after 82 hours. The previous record is set to fall at 2:09 p.m. on Sunday, August 14; the target 82 hours will be completed at 5:00 p.m. The four-day campaign in cooperation with the Styrian Tennis Association (STTV) accompanies a benefit event at TV Schwöbing.
The motivation
“We are in good health and financially. And we want to give something back, sooner rather than later,” says Karl Straßberger, who had the idea for the record attempt. Friedrich Nowak adds: "Because we are convinced that sport is important, especially in troubled times, we want to support projects that enable exercise for as many people as possible with the largest possible donation." the youth development of the tennis club Schwöbing be favoured. The majority of the donations will benefit eleven-year-old Vincent from St. Lorenzen in the Mürztal, who lives with congenital tetraspasticity. “Vinzent is an example of how expensive it can be in the private sphere to want to exercise despite having a handicap. He could only get into the garden pool with the help of two people. He loves to swim and we have already been able to fulfill this wish thanks to the large number of donations.”
The action
The German world record holders Christian Masurenko and Dennis Heitmann showed in a second attempt in 2017 with a mark of 79 hours and 9 minutes that long-term tennis of this dimension is possible. Nevertheless, the bar for the "Longest Marathon playing tennis (singles)", the official record title, is high. The Austrian attempt by Nowak and Straßberger has already been registered with the Official World Record Association as well as with Guinness World RecordsTM (GWR) and follows a strict GWR set of rules: five-minute breaks per hour are permitted, whereby the breaks can be bundled - about 10 minutes within two hours. Changes of place and location are not permitted; nighttime floodlighting is compliant. To be prepared for rain, a tent canopy is erected over the tennis court. the
The two started meticulous preparation for the record attempt in 2022 in March of the previous year. Since then, a monthly endurance sport session has been on the program. They mix different sports like table tennis, running, soccer-tennis. In October they completed 40 hours for the first time and in April a mixed session over 60 hours. The tennis sessions gradually got longer and they are currently training as much as possible.
The event
The match will be accompanied by a public benefit event with a supporting program made possible by volunteers from the Schwöbing tennis club. The visitors can look forward to a 4-day festival with a tent festival, music groups from the region and an "unplugged" short visit to the EDLSEER, evening disco or fundraisers such as ergometer cycling for a good cause. There will also be early morning shopping, a sketch artist and a cheerleading performance on the last day when the record is set to fall. Extreme athlete Christoph Strasser will send a video greeting; Ultra mountain runner Andreas "Rambo" Ropin will be there regularly as a motivator and other "VIPs" have registered. Donations can be made immediately via a donation account (IBAN AT20 3846 0000 0172 5548; ALL WINNERS association) or directly on site. Daily information: www.weltrecord-tennis.at
Support
Many sponsors and volunteers support the good cause. There is also cooperation with the Mürztal Series, which takes place at the same time in Mürzzuschlag. The Styrian Tennis Association (STTV) under the presidency of Barbara Muhr provides financial support, with targeted networking and with numerous referees who, according to the regulations, have to be changed every four hours. Barbara Muhr: “We are everywhere where the heart of tennis can be felt, and that beats particularly hard here in the region. As the only Austrian regional association that has its own department for inclusion, this topic is very important to us. The promotion of mass sport and young people is also at the top of the STTV agenda." And Christian Mayer, STTV speaker Murtal/Upper Styria, adds: "TV Schwöbing will definitely put on a great festival that Upper Styria will once more into the focus of interest. " Gerald Mandl, former Davis Cup player, senior team world champion and Salzburg Open organizer, emphasizes the value of youth development: "An ambitious campaign like this should be supported as broadly as possible. Getting young people into sport and keeping them there is the task of the future for clubs.”
#IMG2#