tour

my most beautiful tournaments

Hamburg

The Australian Open in Melbourne and the Masters Series tournament in Hamburg are my two favourite tournaments. Hamburg is the city where I was born. It is where I learned how to play tennis. I can still remember my first appearance on the centre court: at the age of 5, I was allowed to take part in a show training session during the tournament. The Hamburg tournament was my first visit to a pro tournament, too. In 1988, when I was 10 years old, I watched Tore Meinecke surprisingly beating Thomas Muster in three sets. I remember how Meinecke changed his shirt at 6:5 in the last set. It was as if he was announcing his upcoming break. I was very impressed. This was the time when I was dreaming of taking part in the Hamburg tournament all day long.

In 1997, this dream came true. I was in the main draw for the first time. It was a huge surprise when I made it straight into the semi finals. At the age of 19. Unfortunately, I lost the match against Felix Mantilla. But it is still one of my goals to win this world class tournament in Hamburg one time.

As a city, I like Hamburg a lot, too. It is where I come from and, as far as I am concerned, definitely the most beautiful city in Germany. I know many people in Hamburg and it is always fun to play the tournament here in May.

Australian Open

In Melbourne, where the Australian Open take place, it all fits together: the weather, the city, the mentality of the Aussies. Everything is pretty relaxed in the city and there are loads of good restaurants. I like the high temperatures and have been quite successful there in the past: twice, I have made it to the semi finals. Success probably plays a role, too, whether you like a tournament or not.