Analytical view: “Now I want to try and see if I can do it,” says Althaus. Image: Marcus Simaitis
German champion, world champion, world number one: Herbert Althaus is almost 90 years old and uses his pension to travel around the world for tennis tournaments. About someone who is still learning.
In a tennis match, says Herbert Althaus, you can hit short or long. You can play high over the net and very flat. You can hit slowly, sending the ball to your opponent like a poisoned invitation. Or so fast that your opponent has to run. You can spread your balls left and right or aim for the same square just in front of your opponent’s feet fifteen times in a row. You can cut your balls or not. You can move to the front of the net or play consistently from behind the baseline.
You can play stops and smashes. You can aim your serve at the opponent’s body or aim for the outside lines. You can slice your backhand or throw it back with full force with both hands. You can build cross rallies patiently and wait for the right moment or simply force that moment with bold longline shots. Herbert Althaus, German champion, world champion, world number one for many months, can do all that and much more. But above all, he can do one thing that sets him apart from his opponents: run really fast.
