Germany’s tennis men go to Málaga as group winners for the final round. However, some lessons can be learned from the preliminary round in Hamburg – especially from the organizers.
During the tournament autumn came in Hamburg. While the sun’s rays initially fell through the entrance gates of the Rothenbaum stadium onto the pitch, from the middle of the preliminary round at the latest, the only thing that came from there was mostly the wind. Some of the tennis pros played at around 10 degrees on the center court. Along with Valencia, Bologna and Glasgow, Hamburg was one of the preliminary round locations of the Davis Cup Finals.
Unlike the other locations, the Rothenbaum stadium is not a hall, but a covered outdoor area. You could tell. And that, too, could have stopped many spectators from getting a ticket for the self-proclaimed “World Cup of Tennis”.
Ticket prices criticized from the start
But that’s just one reason why the 10,000-seat stadium wasn’t even filled to a third, even during German games against France and Belgium. On days when the German team was not playing, only a few hundred sat in the stands to see the other teams.
Of course, the injury and the subsequent cancellation of Alexander Zverev were a heavy blow for the organizers. And the ticket prices were also heavily criticized at the beginning of the tournament week, for example by Germany’s Davis Cup player Jan-Lennart Struff.
If you wanted to see a German game, you had to pay at least 75 euros, the other games were available for 65 euros and more. At the beginning, only significantly more expensive two-day tickets were sold. It was different at other locations. In Glasgow, a ticket for a duel without the participation of the host Great Britain cost the equivalent of 11.50 euros. British games were available from around 28.80 euros. In Valencia, too, fans were much cheaper. Only Italy’s home games in Bologna were slightly higher than Hamburg with prices starting at 82.50 euros.
Prices “justified” says promoter
The emotion Group, a promoter from Austria, was responsible for the awards in Hamburg. CEO Herwig Straka thinks the prices are justified, after all, the Davis Cup calls itself the “World Cup of Tennis”. According to Straka, this format with the new group phase has not yet arrived among potential ticket buyers.
The awards were set earlier in the year when it looked like Alexander Zverev was on his way to becoming world number one and would be competing for Germany.
He also sees a difference in the regions that hosted this group stage. “In Hamburg it’s already the case that people work during the week and then go and watch tennis at the weekend,” said Straka. Four group games took place from Tuesday to Friday, only two at the weekend – and only the German duel against Australia on Sunday.
There was actually a little more going on in the stands here. In addition, cities like Valencia or Glasgow have fewer international events and are “hungrier” than Hamburg, where there is a lot going on even without tennis, said Straka.
World Tennis Association announces talks with promoter
The Davis Cup itself is a tournament of the tennis world association ITF, which is organized together with the Spanish company Kosmos Tennis. However, its managing director Enric Rojas sees the problems that the Turner had, especially in Hamburg.
“It was obvious that the stadium in Germany was more difficult to fill,” said Rojas, “we will talk to the promoter”. ITF President David Haggerty announced that he would re-examine all organizational points: “We want more fans, we want a full stadium.” It’s not just about ticket prices, but also about the accommodation of foreign fans.
New Davis Cup format should remain
The Davis Cup format is new, with a spring qualifying round, a group stage for the top 16 teams, and a final round for the top eight. Many fans criticize that there are now hardly any home and away games, which is what made the Davis Cup so special. The many games during the week can also ensure that stadiums remain empty. However, Enric Rojas sees the group stage as a success: “We’re really proud of the result,” he said at a press conference in Valencia. “We’ve proven that the new mode works.” 113,268 spectators were in the halls in the four cities over the six days.
Hamburg could also host Davis Cup 2023
In fact, Kosmos is planning tennis next year with the same organizers as this year. The final round will take place in Malaga in 2023 anyway, but there are also contracts with the host countries of the group stage, according to Rojas. Only if Germany, Italy, Spain or Great Britain don’t qualify for it would you have to think about a change: “Such a format needs a home team.”
However, this does not mean that the Davis Cup will remain in Hamburg. Herwig Straka from the emotion-Group announced: “We will definitely consider Hamburg again”, but the decision will not be made until after the next qualifying round in spring.
And with the German Tennis Association, you could also imagine other host cities. President Dietloff von Arnim referred to the large German tournament landscape, for example in Berlin, Halle (Westphalia) and Munich: “Tennis works in Germany, tennis is also in demand in Germany, and that’s a great development.”
German Tennis Association satisfied with group stage
In terms of sport, every German Davis Cup day was the same. Jan-Lennart Struff won the first singles, Oscar Otte lost in the second and the doubles Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz finally made the 2-1 victory perfect in doubles. The president gave it great praise: “The team can be incredibly proud of themselves. What the German team showed against France, Belgium and Australia was world class”. The feeling of togetherness was also decisive: “It’s a real team, we haven’t had that for a long time,” says von Arnim, “they cheer each other on, they challenge each other, they support each other, it’s like that all day, it’s been like this all week.”
Jan-Lennart Struff with three wins
Jan-Lennart Struff was the most positive surprise in the DTB team. The 32-year-old, who has been out of the top 100 in the world since June after his injury in spring, really absorbed the atmosphere in Hamburg. To the cheers of the audience, he won every single. It was particularly impressive how he finally won a twelve-minute service game against the Belgian Zizou Bergs and then won the tie-break 11:9.
Tennis pro Jan-Lennard Struff
“Every match was a good match,” was Struff’s conclusion, who also praised the atmosphere at Rothenbaum every day. Especially when Krawietz/Pütz were on the pitch after the singles: “It was great in the back in doubles. I got goosebumps a few times. We also gave full throttle from the bench, screamed.”
Krawietz and Pütz prove their world class
In fact, Struff, Oscar Otte and substitute Yannick Hanfmann in particular were at the forefront when it came to the atmosphere. They jumped and clapped, letting the La Ola go around even when the stadium wasn’t full. Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz proved once again that they are among the best in the world. Every double was won, even if it was close against France and Belgium. The two kept their clean slate: they have never lost a match in the Davis Cup.
Oscar Otte is not yet at 100 percent
The statistics of Germany’s number one – in the absence of Alexander Zverev – look different. Davis Cup debutant Otte suffered a defeat in every game – in the end also against Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis, who was still suffering from flu. After his knee surgery, which Otte underwent after Wimbledon, a few percent were still missing.
But in the end he didn’t want to let his three defeats get him down: “It was an incredible week, it’s just a lot of fun, I think the team is perfect. That of course makes you want more and motivates you to do it in Málaga be.”
In Malaga, Canada is waiting in the quarter-finals
Germany’s path in this Davis Cup is far from over. In the quarterfinals it is now against Canada – including top 15 player Félix Auger-Aliassime. In the group phase, he inflicted the first defeat as number one in the world on the newly crowned US Open winner Carlos Alcaraz in an almost three-hour match.
The game will be played in Malaga on Thursday 24 November. “We’re certainly not favorites against the Canadians, but we’re well prepared and the team will get involved,” announced DTB President Dietloff von Arnim. Probably the biggest question about the final round, but nobody can answer it at the moment: How long will Alexander Zverev remain injured – and whether Germany can compete with him at the end of November?
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NDR Television | Hamburg Journal | 09/19/2022 | 19:30 o’clock
