Stuttgart – Former world-class player Anke Huber has gained a good impression of the young German players at the WTA Tennis Tournament in Stuttgart.
“The fact that they could really show that they can already keep up with the top 50 players, that also reassures you a bit that maybe there won’t be quite such a long gap,” said the tournament’s sporting director (47): “That maybe we can look forward to someone there again in the next few years.”
Eva Lys (20) had shone in Stuttgart on her WTA main draw debut with her first win. Wildcard holder Jule Niemeier (22) and qualifier Nastasja Schunk (18) were eliminated in the first round of the tournament, which featured seven top-ten players, despite decent performances.
“Of course we won’t have another Angie Kerber right away for the next two, three, four years,” said the former world number four. She also justified the fact that the German talents still have to develop for a few more years with the German school system: “Of course, we have an insanely tough school system. It’s almost impossible to do competitive sport here because we don’t have a system that really encourages it. Maybe you have to give the girls one or two years more time.
Huber regrets Wimbledon exclusion of players
Huber regrets the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian tennis professionals for this year’s Wimbledon edition. “I think it’s a shame to mix sport and politics,” the 47-year-old said. “I think Wimbledon has had pressure from the government. For me, these are girls and boys who just want to play tennis and play their sport.”
Wimbledon organisers had decided that professionals from Russia and Belarus would not be allowed to compete in the grass-court classic from 27 June to 10 July in response to Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. The decision also drew criticism from the ATP and WTA organisations. According to the French sports newspaper “L’Equipe”, the women’s tennis organisation WTA is considering sanctions against Wimbledon.
“What measures can be taken now and make sense, I think, is a difficult issue. Messing with the All England Club is not so optimal either,” said Stuttgart tournament director Markus Günthardt. “I’m curious to see how the players react to it, not the players involved. I think if anyone can actually make a difference, it’s the players. “
