If they still have to wait before seeing Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal, tennis fans will be able to watch tennis live: eight players ranked above the World Top 100 will compete on Friday, then on May 7 and 14, at the Base tennis academy of Hoehr-Grenzhausen, near Koblenz (west) in Germany.
The German Dustin Brown, 239th in the world who experienced his quarter-hour of celebrity by leaving Rafael Nadal in the second round of Wimbledon in 2015, is the best known player of this tournament which will take place off circuit ATP, suspended as the WTA circuit until July 13 minimum, due to Covid-19 pandemic.
"Rediscover the tingling, the competition"
Yannick Hanfmann"I am very enthusiastic" about the idea of playing, Yannick Hanfmann, 143rd in the world and highest ranked player of the eight participants, told AFP subsidiary Yannick Hanfmann. "It's pretty cool, I'm curious to see how many people are going to watch," added the German, while the matches will be broadcast worldwide on Tennis Channel.
Due to the coronavirus, only two players and the central referee will be allowed on the clay court. After taking advantage of the confinement to spend time at home in Karlsruhe, Hanfmann now wants to find "the stinging, the competition", even for the small sum put into play during the tournament.
"I saved some money and I'm not the type to throw money out the window," said Hanfmann, who achieved a total gain of $ 543,000 during his career but for whom "things get complicated now". He remains against the idea put forward by superstars Novak Djokovic, Federer and Nadal to push the top 100 players to finance a solidarity fund for the others who are ranked lower: "Why should players below the top 10 have the responsibility to help others feel better? ”.
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