Tournament director Michael Stich (48) has criticized the decision of the German Tennis Association (DTB) after the loss of the license for the traditional clay court event at Rothenbaum in Hamburg.
“I don’t think it was transparent,” Stich said in Hamburg on Tuesday:”The fact that I was asked whether I was prepared to work for another host as tournament director makes us doubt that this was done fairly.
In addition, Stich denounced that his last offer of 670,000 euros had no longer been taken into account, and that the DTB bodies had apparently submitted incorrect figures to the DTB bodies before the decision was taken.I have to state for myself that the DTB does not want to work with me,”said Stich, who will host the tournament for the last time in 2018.From 2019 onwards, the Austrian Peter-Michael Reichel will be granted the licence for the German Open for an initial period of five years.
Stich ruled out the possibility of working as a tournament director under another host:”No, clearly not.I’m a loyal man,”he said,”I’m not giving my name just to have a job.”
He is “surprised” and “disappointed”that he and his team are not allowed to continue the “successful work of the past years”, but “it is clear that we accept the decision”.
nearby