Why is Germany so bad at Tennis?
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GloW
Professional
Fritz can beat zverev 50,000 in a row as long as its a grand slam.
Curtennis
Hall of Fame
I think OP means this century.
GrandSlam24
Semi-Pro
Muster is more German than Zverev. They all just have citizenship. You can always get citizenship somehow. That doesn't automatically make you German. It would be nice. But unfortunately that's not possible. I can't leave for Kenya as a German, then get a passport from Kenya and be Kenyan. That's complete nonsense. You can convey it that way, but that doesn't make it true. Zverev is Russian and I like Russians.
THUNDERVOLLEY
G.O.A.T.
No.
NeutralFan
G.O.A.T.
According to your weird logic black and coloured British sportsmen and citizen like AJ and others are not Brits lol.
metsman
Talk Tennis Guru
Germany is much better at tennis than France or Italy historically, and let's be real, the only reason it's not Spain too is due to moonballs, clay, left handedness, too much time between points, etc.
Looking at the top 100 is a bit silly in a sport like tennis. Has Switzerland been a bad tennis nation over the last 25 years because they've only had like 3 or 4 guys in the top 100?
Looking at the top 100 is a bit silly in a sport like tennis. Has Switzerland been a bad tennis nation over the last 25 years because they've only had like 3 or 4 guys in the top 100?
Aussie Darcy
Bionic Poster
The Angelique Kerber disrespect is real on this thread 
just casually a former #1 who won three slams.
just casually a former #1 who won three slams.
Mainad
Bionic Poster
But Zverev, unlike his parents, didn't just acquire citizenship, he was born and bred in Germany and has lived there all his life. If that doesn't make him German just because of his ethnicity, then we are just being racist.
Rosstour
G.O.A.T.
I am asking this because they are all of the same age range, so it is possible that Becker and Stich would be attracted towards her, Becker would even have tried his luck.. It seems Graf did not give into any attempts from him
"Steffi Graf fascinated me, it wasn’t the infantile falling in love of a teenager" - When Boris Becker opened up about his 'deep affection' for compatriot
Boris Becker once opened up about his admiration for compatriot Steffi Graf, which began during their early days of training together.www.sportskeeda.com
Boris only likes German Chocolate "Cakes" if you know what I mean
OslerWeber
New User
Germany has the current #3 male player in the world, slam finalist and Gold medalist, has a former #1 multiple slam winner and silver medalist that just retired, a 6 slam champion and arguably the best female player in history.
If thats not a good tennis country I dont know what is.
If thats not a good tennis country I dont know what is.
GrandSlam24
Semi-Pro
No. These are all media statements. Nobody has anything against Zverev as a person. I have nothing against Russians. I also like Medvedev. But if I'm born in Kenya to German parents, then I'm not Kenyan, even if I grow up there AND Kenya is prepared to give me a Kenyan passport. These are all nice things and don't hurt anyone and they don't say anything against the people or for the people in question. But as a German, Thiem and Muster are closer to me than Zverev or Medvedev. It doesn't matter whether you like Thiem and Muster more than the other two. You can never say for sure. But one look is enough and I know who my people are, regardless of sympathy, nationality or any document.
People are mixing two different concepts, citizenship and ethnicity. Zverev is a German citizen of Russian ethnicity. Thiem, Muster, Federer, Sinner are not German citizens obviously, but are ethnic Germans nonetheless. Germany does not hold the monopoly on representing the German culture. Austria is 100% German, and Switzerland has probably 80% Germans, as well as other smaller countries and regions like South Tyrol, Alsace, that are German regions in non Germanic countries. It’s just how it is. Germany as a country has a lot of non ethnic German citizens. They are all equal in rights and obligations regardless of whether they have ethnicities from Turkey, Africa, or Russia.
NeutralFan
G.O.A.T.
True multiculturalism is our strength and anyone who is against it should be jailed ( like in UK they're doing)
ShahofTennis
Hall of Fame
Apparently modeling my game after Haas was a huge mistake. Luckily I still have my Guga influences to lean on.
BorgTheGOAT
Legend
Yes he was her first boyfriend or at least the first she presented in public. Mronz vs Agassi at Wimbledon 95 was the first tennis match I ever watched. Mronz and his brother I saw often in a restaurant close to my home as a kid. Mronz brother was in a relationship with famous German politician Guido Westerwelle.
Multiculturalism is good and bad in the same time. You can’t make such sweeping extreme statements. Obviously every country has its own peculiarities and one size does not fit all.
NeutralFan
G.O.A.T.
Yes lock people down if they criticise the immigrant committing crime.
I see what you did there
Historically, Luxembourg is a part of Germany as well.
Their language is a german dialect that is very close to the dialect that people in my region in Germany speak (I live near to Luxembourg).
Dominic & Andrey
Legend
Vamos Rafa
Turning Pro
Hall of Fame
I think OP is disillusioned.
Zverev is the GOAT.
Zverev is the GOAT.
Tennfan123
Legend
German tennis players have included:
Steffi Goat Graf
Becker
Stich
Zverev
Kerber
Haas
Kiefer
Huber
Lisicki
Schuttler
Petkovic
Honourable mentions: Goellner, Hack, Rittner, Bunge, Struff, Weingartner, Siegemund, Georges, Porwik, Niemeier, Arn, Barthel, Beck, Ben Becker, Frankl, Friedsam, Hanika, Gronefeld, Kohde Kilsch, Stebe, Otte, Hanfmann, Braasch, von Cramm, Brown, Dreekmann, Gojowczyk, Karbacher, Koepfer, Mayer, Mronz, Marterer, Popp, Prinosil.
There are many more countries we could call bad at tennis.
Germany has been pretty good.
Steffi Goat Graf
Becker
Stich
Zverev
Kerber
Haas
Kiefer
Huber
Lisicki
Schuttler
Petkovic
Honourable mentions: Goellner, Hack, Rittner, Bunge, Struff, Weingartner, Siegemund, Georges, Porwik, Niemeier, Arn, Barthel, Beck, Ben Becker, Frankl, Friedsam, Hanika, Gronefeld, Kohde Kilsch, Stebe, Otte, Hanfmann, Braasch, von Cramm, Brown, Dreekmann, Gojowczyk, Karbacher, Koepfer, Mayer, Mronz, Marterer, Popp, Prinosil.
There are many more countries we could call bad at tennis.
Germany has been pretty good.
Im(moral) Winner
G.O.A.T.
Like I said before players like Federer, Wawrinka and Bencic? have been happenstances for Switzerland. How much credit should they get for their achievements especially if they aren’t going to produce any other great players? I guess we can give some credit for the Swiss for employing Peter Carter but then again he got his tennis knowledge from Australia.
And Liechtenstein.
1930’s - great players like Nusslein and von cramm were there.
zakopinjo
Professional
Serbia is a strange phenomenon.
Two world number 1 in women's tennis and one world number 1 in men's tennis in the period 2008-2011. Of course, this is not the success of the tennis association, but it is still fascinating. Is there a similar example in tennis history?
zakopinjo
Professional
The Germanic are not too bad, but the Slavs are the best (15 women slam champion and 9 male slam champion) in open era.
I have enjoyed watched quite a lot of 'relatively unheralded' German players over the years, such as Michael Westphal with his loose, free swinging groundstrokes, Marc-Kevin Goellner with big serve and forehand and nice volleying skills, Bernd Karbacher with this unorthodox service motion and big forehand, Florian Mayer with his flying, jumping backhand, volleying, interesting forehand backswing and dropshots etc.
I remember watching Jeremy Bates withstand a barrage aces and unreturnable serves from the Markus Zoecke at Wimbledon in 1994 (one of his serves was fired down at 134 mph). Zoecke then beat Ivansevic at the US Open a couple of months later, though Goran injured his hip just before the tournament started, and routinely strugged in Flushing Meadows until he reached the last 4 in 1996.
The British tennis bosses tried to persuade Alexander Popp who had a British mother to represent GB instead of Germany and play in the British Davis Cup team, and it was a pretty big news story in the UK during his quarter-final run at Wimbledon in 2000. The the fact that he followed up huge, booming first serves by remaining at the baseline, before the switch to 100% rye grass a year later, was also brought up a fair bit by commentators.
I remember watching Jeremy Bates withstand a barrage aces and unreturnable serves from the Markus Zoecke at Wimbledon in 1994 (one of his serves was fired down at 134 mph). Zoecke then beat Ivansevic at the US Open a couple of months later, though Goran injured his hip just before the tournament started, and routinely strugged in Flushing Meadows until he reached the last 4 in 1996.
The British tennis bosses tried to persuade Alexander Popp who had a British mother to represent GB instead of Germany and play in the British Davis Cup team, and it was a pretty big news story in the UK during his quarter-final run at Wimbledon in 2000. The the fact that he followed up huge, booming first serves by remaining at the baseline, before the switch to 100% rye grass a year later, was also brought up a fair bit by commentators.
Rovesciarete
Hall of Fame
Back on the right track. I would love to see more German clay events, even if it is of course more difficult pull off. Imho Great Britain and Germany share much more of tennis culture than they guys on the island are aware off. For me the one-hander was a very ‘German‘ and a bit antique way of hitting a ball. Becker, Graf, Stich, Subert°, Lendl*, Federer, Wawrinka and Thiem all belong to that grand central European tennis culture.
Interesting that Martina had like Djokovic parents which worked as ski instructors! Another check for skiing….
Overall I would look at the Italian and Czech way of doing things. The American and British experience is completely over-represented and especially the Brits talk often too much of a good game.
°surname of Navratilova’s father and also a *South German surname
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Raiden
Hall of Fame
This is currently true, but was not always. Brits are nowadays winning medals due to their significant investments in sports in the last two decades, backed by lottery funds obtained when they secured the opportunity to host the Olympic Games. Before that period, the Brits were terrible in olympics too.
So why don’t the Brits invest in Tennis as well then? I think Tennis is popular over there, so it would make sense to invest in that sport.
Hitman
Bionic Poster
I don't blame you for giving the middle finger to Emma.Lol....you think your're bad at tennis. At least you had Graf, Becker and Stich who notched up 29 Slams between them. Even now you've got the world #3 in Zverev. Maybe you think you should be doing better but try being British, where the modern game was invented, and we have had just the 1 Slam winner and top player in Murray (who also was not a product of our Tennis Association) within the last 4 decades.
It's all relative.
BorgTheGOAT
Legend
Germany still has several top 100 players. ATGs or even slam winners is something nobody can plan anyways. Look at Switzerland who never produced much of worth on the men’s side and out of the sudden they get a GOAT candidate and another multi slam winner. Sweden gets three ATGs roughly at the same time but nobody else before or after. There is too much luck involved for an ATG to evolve. The Stich/Becker/Graf time was more coincidence than anything.
BorgTheGOAT
Legend
Becker and Stich both went for models. Way younger ones. Stich only few years ago tried to make a (painful to watch) move on Ivanovic. Those guys had zero interest in Graf, who, as much as I admire her tennis talent was never the best looking one.I am asking this because they are all of the same age range, so it is possible that Becker and Stich would be attracted towards her, Becker would even have tried his luck.. It seems Graf did not give into any attempts from him
"Steffi Graf fascinated me, it wasn’t the infantile falling in love of a teenager" - When Boris Becker opened up about his 'deep affection' for compatriot
Boris Becker once opened up about his admiration for compatriot Steffi Graf, which began during their early days of training together.
There has been a lot of investment in tennis in the UK year after year. The LTA is an incredibly wealthy organisation.
That makes the lack of British players in the ATP and WTA top 100s over the years, the 35 year period without either a male or female singles grand slam champion (though that is far more excusable), 28 year wait for a Davis Cup World Group victory after 1986 until 2014, 27 year wait for a Federation Cup / Fed / Billie Jean King Cup World Group appearance after 1993 until 2020, 24 year wait for a WTA singles title after mid-1988 until late 2012 etc., even more embarrassing. The last stat there is the most embarrassing one of the lot IMO.
Clearly a lot of the money has been spent badly. I always thought that building one national tennis centre, instead of using that same pot of money to build several smaller, regional centres across the country (subject to planning permissions etc), was a big mistake. Plus there was a period when the LTA were obsessed with getting high profile coaches (on big salaries) on board, thinking that would solve everything.
I'd assume that after the USA, the UK and France as grand slam hosting nations (clearly that brings in a huge amount of revenue) in Western Europe, with 2 of the 7 largest economies in the world, make up the top 3 countries worldwide in terms of tennis spending.
Of course tennis lags behind the most popular team sports in any country in the world (there won't be a single country across the planet where it's more popular than football). But all things considered it's pretty popular in both the UK and France. I go to a local challenger event in the UK every year that has packed and enthusiastic crowds day after to day (including for the qualies) to watch male and female players ranked outside the top 100 and in many cases outside the top 200. In France I can read the results of challenger / ITF events held in the country in some fairly prominent media outlets.
I think that for any country, producing successful female tennis players is noticeably more important all things considered than producing successful male players. A successful tennis career = making good money from the sport given that the vast majority of players / aspiring pros fail to achieve that. That's considering tennis has been the undisputed no. 1 women's sport for more than a century, while on the men's side it increasingly lags further and further behind the major team sports most crucially in terms of salaries and earnings, and therefore is more and more likely to be made up of relative 'athletic leftovers'.
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Ya. I will say over the last 10 years or so other females sports are making moves, and soccer and basketball will eventually pass tennis as the most popular female sport. The ladies in these sports are making more and more money. Just looked up this article. These are the highest paid lady footballers in the world right now and the list is going to keep growing and growing.https://techreport.com/statistics/sports/highest-paid-women-footballers/#:~:text=Alex%20Morgan%20is%20the%20highest,figures%20in%20US%20sports%20history. https://www.forbes.com/sites/brettk...d-cup-highest-paid-alex-morgan-megan-rapinoe/
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sortof
Professional
There was nothing - and that´s why I suggested back then an "enforced" breeding program beginning with Becker/Graf.
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sortof
Professional
The German tennis association (the DTB) sucks and their the whole system including their coaches and their tennis academies suck as well.
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BorgTheGOAT
Legend
I cannot see that happening. Female football and basketball is particularly boring. First, the gap between men and women is smaller in tennis due to it being less physical than football and basketball but second, women tennis is also better to watch as it has its own beauty and dynamics due to it being less serve-centered. Also, let’s face it, female tennis players are way hotter than their football and especially basketball counterparts which is the number 1 reason men watch women sports, and most sport-watching people are still men.
The link you shared it misleading. It states itself that Alex Morgan has a salary from her club of less than 800,000 which is nothing compared to top female tennis players. The reason they got seven million last year is because of they pressurized US soccer to this ridiculous and absolute unfair deal of getting equal money with the men (the link states it itself, the 6.5 million they get from the men’s 2022 WC was more than the last two Women WC combined).
As for basketball: the WNBA is subsidised by the men and has never in all the years of their existence made a profit, so normally they shouldn’t be paid anything.
In short: in both basketball and football, the money the women get does not reflect the interest which is sparked by those sports. I think tennis is safe as the most popular female sport for years to come.
StefanosRespecter
Rookie
I don't think Germans are bad at tennis, but they just aren't top in the world either with places like US, Spain, Italy.
I dont really care what you think is happening. Its happening. These lady soccer players are going to be making more money than the lady tennis players. Its inevitable. Many or them are singing multi million dollar contracts. Far more women will be making big money in women's soccer than tennis.
Bartelby
Bionic Poster
What is it with this patronizing "lady players" nonsense? Do you routinely call Lionel Messi a "gentleman football player"? If you do I apologize in advance.
WTF are you babbling about now.
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