interview
DTB boss Dietloff von Arnim would like to become president of the tennis world association ITF – in the Sportschau interview he talks about his ideas, the gap behind Alexander Zverev and the Davis Cup duel against Switzerland.
Dietloff von Arnim has been the boss of the German Tennis Association since the beginning of 2021, but he wants to go one floor up and become President of the World Tennis Association ITF. To do this, he would have to replace incumbent David Haggerty from the USA at the Congress in Cancun, Mexico, in September. In the Sportschau interview, he talks about his visions, the big gap behind Alexander Zverev and the upcoming Davis Cup opener against Switzerland.
Sportschau: Mr. von Arnim, you are running for president of the World Tennis Association ITF – why?
“In the late summer of last year, I was asked by several national associations if I could imagine running for office. I thought about it for a while and then said yes, because I think the ITF and tennis in general can be done better.”
What do you mean by that?
“It’s about overriding issues, tournament forms, scoring, external representation, communication with the large and small national associations, the team competitions. I would have a lot of discussions, get opinions, but also develop clear concepts in the run-up to the talks.”
Are the ATP and WTA too powerful as player unions and would you want to change that as ITF President?
“It’s not about power for me at all. The fact is: there are always a lot of voices in the scene, from the Grand Slam tournaments, from the ATP, from the WTA. But now you also need someone for tennis worldwide speaks. That has to be the ITF.”
Are you striving for a double function as acting President of the German Tennis Association or is only one job possible?
“Clearly, only one job is possible. The ITF rules out a dual role, and that’s right.”
You’ve been DTB boss for two years now. What is your personal balance sheet, what have you changed?
“In contrast to other sports, we managed to increase the number of members in German tennis during the Corona period – by around five percent per year. This shows that tennis is alive.”
In the professional sector, on the other hand, things are currently looking very bad. Most recently at the Australian Open, there were no more Germans in the individual competitions in the second week of the tournament. Apart from Alexander Zverev, nobody is consistently represented in the world class. What is going wrong in promoting young talent, why do so many find it so difficult to transition from junior to senior level?
“You’re right. There were always spikes like a year and a half ago at the US Open with four Germans among the last 16. But in general the Australian Open is not a slip, it also reflects the world rankings – that’s where we are up to Zverev way too far behind.”
Why and what are you doing about it?
“The snapshot is the product of the support that was introduced eight to ten years ago. We have now changed a few things, but this may only bear fruit in the future. A concrete example: we start supporting top talent much earlier. And we are going to the ministries of education in the federal states to enable much more flexibility and digital lessons for the talented people, because in tennis you have to go to international tournaments early in order to be able to compete at the top level – five days off per school year are not enough for that . I’ll take the circus scene as a comparison, there are teachers who are assigned especially for the showmen’s families – I can imagine it being like that in top-class tennis. But as I said, digital learning opportunities would be particularly important.”
The team competitions are where the Germans have always impressed. Now the Davis Cup has separated from the main sponsor – is this big traditional event on the brink?
“I don’t think so, but on the one hand we need financiers who really understand the team events in tennis. On the other hand, we have to think about changes. What I’ve heard from many countries so far: The top tennis events also have to go to the smaller countries We in Germany have several major tournaments, but in Denmark and Norway, for example, there are world-class players but no suitable events to get people excited there any more, so the Davis Cup and Billy Jean King Cup would be real home and away games good – just like we have one again in Trier this weekend against Switzerland.”
Switzerland comes with the 37-year-old oldie Stan Wawrinka – is Germany the clear favorite?
“No. And be careful: Wawrinka is still a class player, I just saw Marc-Andrea Hulser myself at the Australian Open, he can do singles and doubles. There will be five exciting games, we have to be very vigilant.”
In the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup, Russia and Belarus are excluded due to the war of aggression against Ukraine. Wimbledon organizers also banned Russian and Belarusian athletes. The ATP and WTA, on the other hand, are taking the opposite line and have even fined Wimbledon heavily – what is your stance on this conflict?
“My position is clear: We should let the athletes from these countries play without a flag – but not the teams. That’s why I think it’s right that Russia and Belarus are excluded from the DavisCup and the Billie Jean King Cup in tennis.”
Will you have opponents when you run for office in September?
“Yes, the current incumbent David Haggerty from the USA wants to compete again. Let’s see.”