ovb-online-deSportSport in the region
PrintShare
Miriam Schnitzer became German indoor champion in 2000 and now works as a trainer at the Goodball tennis school in Bad Aibling. © dpa & Miriam Schnitzer
Miriam Schnitzer is a former tennis professional. In the interview she talks about the bright and dark sides of tennis, how she comes to live in Rosenheim and which comedian she met during her career.
By Sophie Mischner
Rosenheim – Miriam Schnitzer was a former professional tennis player, played in Grand Slams and reached the quarterfinals of the German Open. The whole thing was more than 20 years ago and she now lives with her family in Rosenheim.
In the OVB exclusive interview, 46-year-old Schnitzer, who lived in Ingolstadt for a long time, says that she never completely let go of tennis.
Her greatest sporting success was the quarterfinals of the German Open. What was it like for you back then?
Miriam Schnitzer: The experience was quite extraordinary. There is the Bild newspaper in the hotel lobby and you can see a large article with his picture next to that of Venus Williams. This was all new to me and it doesn’t happen every day. In the quarterfinals I played against Justine Henin, who had previously defeated Venus Williams. I would have liked to have played against Venus Williams, I have to say, because the name is already powerful.
A year after reaching the quarterfinals, you ended your tennis career at the age of 25. What was the crucial point? Have you already reached your goal?
Schnitzer: My goal was to be in the top 100. Many people say I could have done that too. I stopped back then partly for personal reasons. I had been with a friend for a long time. Then there was the traveling. That was both a blessing and a curse for me. It’s nice, no question, when you can experience so much. But of course there are also difficult experiences where you have to stay with a host family because the hotel was full or booked incorrectly. It’s not necessarily a nice, familiar environment. Then you end up on the eighth floor and have to drag your things up because the elevator is broken. It was an experience outside of the luxuries you usually have at tennis tournaments. But for this luxury you first have to establish yourself in the tennis world. That means you have to defend your title and rank every day, every year. You have to prove yourself every week and get better, that should be the goal. But it is not that easy.
“You never knew if it was honest gossip”
So traveling was a crucial point for you to quit tennis. Did loneliness play a role in this too?
Schnitzer: Tennis is an individual sport. That means you fight for yourself. I had the experience that I didn’t necessarily have friends in the stands, even if they clapped. You never knew if it was honest gossip. But that’s part of it, that’s the sport. You have few friends. At a Grand Slam it’s different because the men are there too. Then it’s a little more fun. For example, at Wimbledon, Goran Ivaniševic wanted to teach my mother and me how to play chess. That was quite funny. You get to know a different side of tennis, but in the end you are still alone. Especially when you’re young. You don’t have a masseur or trainer with you right away because that costs money that you don’t have at your disposal at the beginning. That means you have to fly alone. I know when I flew to the Australian Open, whether it was Hong Kong or Dubai, I just cried a lot in the airport. I wanted to go home again. In retrospect, it’s actually stupid because you could have seen so much when you were younger. But for me, it was just my job. I had to achieve success there. But then you push through it and when you’re successful, it lasts you for a long time.
more on the subject
Defending champion Jakob Schnaitter from Wasserburg: At first everything went according to plan
So you often felt uncomfortable. Was it even fun then?
Schnitzer: If I didn’t enjoy it, I would have quit. I also had my dad, who was completely behind me and said we would do it because I enjoyed it. None of this would be possible without the support of parents. I can remember going to the first tournament with my dad. There were Czechs there and they lived in a caravan. Some of them gave up their livelihoods, i.e. sold their houses, so that they could afford to travel with their children on the tour. Of course it’s crazy what they’ve given up.
The other children were allowed to splash around, Schnitzer had to train
You mentioned that your father was very supportive. What was he like as a coach?
Schnitzer: My dad always gave me a lot of freedom. But there were also situations where he made clear statements. When I was seven or eight years old, I was already training five or six times a week, in addition to swimming, fitness training and all sorts of other things. When I was in the neighbors’ pool with the other children in the afternoon, my dad called out that we had to go to training. Then, whether I wanted to or not, I had to get out of the pool, change my clothes and then go to the tennis court. That was the price I had to pay and the other children were allowed to continue splashing around. That’s why I still loved my dad so much and today I’m still very grateful to him for that because he completely sacrificed his life for me.
You are no longer a professional tennis player. What do you do for a living instead?
Schnitzer: I am a state-certified tennis trainer and am employed at the Goodball tennis school in Bad Aibling. I also work one day a week at the fashion store Sego Concept Store. It’s a great balance for me, I love fashion, the store, the environment and the people. I have now completely arrived at my two jobs.
Miriam Schnitzer reached the quarterfinals at the German Open © picture-alliance / dpa/dpaweb
In general, tennis now has a place in your life again. Do you have any regrets about your professional career when you look back?
Schnitzer: Don’t regret it, it was a blessing and a curse at the same time. It was crazy because my life turned out differently, like many other young people. I didn’t know any discos. I didn’t know how to bake cookies in the kitchen with my mother because I was already in Australia at Christmas time. Having friends was also difficult because people often wanted to benefit each other. But tennis is still a big part of my life and always will be. I turned my hobby into my profession.
“I notice that my ambition is coming out again”
How do you like your job as a tennis coach? Are you playing regularly again?
Schnitzer: As a trainer, I want to teach the children who want to be good at something. But that’s difficult now in winter because we urgently need a hall in Bad Aibling. I notice that my ambition comes out again with the good students, so I drill them a little if they want me to. But first and foremost it should be fun and enjoyable for the children. I am also playing again as a tennis coach. I also really enjoy watching tennis again, but at most I only play for fun. For example with my long-time friend Django Asül, the cabaret artist. At that time I also met Otto Waalkes in Florida and played tennis with him. Now I play a little tennis with Django before some of his performances and in the evening I go to his show with my family. The next one is in Ingolstadt in January, where I play tennis with cabaret artists and they then perform in the evening.
more on the subject
Sebastian Streu in the OVB Starbulls podcast: “My dream – with Rosenheim in the DEL”
2023-12-22 16:08:00
#Tennis #Grand #Slam #participant #Miriam #Schnitzer #interview
