In an exclusive tennisnet interview, Tommy Haas talks about pressure, the sperencies of Cristiano Ronaldo, the difference between tennis and football and glorious lawn times.
By Ulrike Weinrich from Wimbledon
tennisnet: “Tommy Haas, the German national team has been eliminated, but the World Cup is still under way. How much is your heart beating for football in general?”
Tommy Haas: “It is sometimes difficult to follow all this because I am often in the USA. But I try to watch as many Champions League matches as possible. I am interested in Bayern Munich – and as a Hamburg native I am of course also a bit HSV fan…”
tennisnet: “You haven’t had much to laugh about lately…”
Tommy Haas: “Well, the descent – and then for the first time. But it was also kind of time, considering how lucky HSV has been in the last few years. Still, it’s sad.”
tennisnet: “How much do you enjoy playing tennis with individual teams?”
Tommy Haas: “I’m already a sports fan and watch a lot: Football, American football, basketball – also golf. I’m not some crazy fan who has to run around with Jersey, though. On the other hand, I also know a few national football players who are tennis enthusiasts.
tennisnet: “Do you regret having become a tennis player when you see the full football stadiums in the Bundesliga or at a World Cup?”
Tommy Haas: “No, I knew right from the start that I wanted to be a tennis pro. This has always been my sport – and I’m happy that I did it. “I like to play football, but not as well as I could have been a pro.”
tennisnet: “Rafael Nadal is known as an excellent footballer. “How far do you think he could have gone as a pro, league two?”
Tommy Haas: “I think Rafa could have played even higher. When you see your family with the uncle who worked for FC Barcelona. He certainly could have taken this path, because he is a top athlete. And he has a lot of touch, no question.”
tennisnet: “If you compare the pressure on tennis pros and football pros, what is their verdict?”
Tommy Haas: “It’s a different pressure. Every athlete puts pressure on himself and wants to win and be successful. Tennis is one of the toughest sports I know in this respect. I don’t think there’s anything to be said for that. I think there is no other sport, similar to boxing, where you are alone outside and have no coach, no time out. And where you have to try to find your own way to win.”
tennisnet: “That sounds logical…”
Tommy Haas: “You can’t play for time. I have often played matches against top players and could not say that if I hold my serve once or win eight of the next ten points, then the final whistle comes and I have won. You must also make the last point.”
tennisnet: “So tennis offers many challenges…?”
Tommy Haas: “Yes, also in terms of talent or athletics – and the feel for the ball. You must master backhand, forehand and serve. You can’t just play on the defensive, that’s not enough. You have to do an extreme amount to be good. Of course there are other demanding sports, and everyone is a full professional, but tennis is already high on the list”.
tennisnet: “Now the football question of faith: Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi?”
Tommy Haas: “What Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved in recent years is incredible, phenomenal. Winning the Champions League three times in a row, that’s great. Also his charisma and this self-confidence, that is madness. A Messi is also a super talent. If I could wish for one of them as a new coach, I would be satisfied. But right now I’d probably take Ronaldo.”
tennisnet: “Don’t you get annoyed by Ronaldo’s behavior – for example, how he puffs himself in front of the free kicks?”
Tommy Haas: “We must not forget that everyone has a way of playing football and getting the best out of it on the pitch. You can like the kind of Rafa Nadal on the court or not, but he simply plays great tennis. And you like to watch. And if Ronaldo takes a free kick or does anything…the fact is there simply isn’t a better footballer right now.”
“So you’re going to watch his perennials?”
Tommy Haas: “There are certain rituals a player has. And Ronaldo himself knows:’Attention, here comes my trademark again. And then I try to get this ball in. With this self-confidence and pride he succeeds – it is incredible. So I rather see it this way and don’t ask myself: Does that annoy you – or not? I can see how incomprehensibly good he is. He’s a game changer, and it doesn’t happen that often.”
tennisnet: “Could your two daughters play football?”
Tommy Haas: “Of course they should. In the USA, football is very popular with girls. They already play tennis once a week, go to the gym and dance.”
tennisnet: “The tennis ore is currently beating in Wimbledon. What has changed in lawn tennis in recent years?”
Tommy Haas: “I last talked about it with Michael Stich at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle/Westphalia. Nobody can imagine how fast lawn tennis used to be. In Ivanisevic times, nobody could have broken the way a Milos Raonic partially strikes today. That would have been almost impossible in the past. The balls are so huge by now, you can also have good rallies from the baseline and still run after many balls. “In the’90s, when I started, it was a great rally on grass when you played the ball back and forth three or four times.”
did grass court tennis have a greater appeal in the past?”
Tommy Haas: “I would like there to be a tournament where things are still the same. Just so you know, that’s the way it was. Just really fast. If the return came back at all, it was already good. When the volley was played into the corner, there was no way to play it back. The Becker/Ivanisevic/Edberg matches were a real hit. To play from behind, that was partly impossible. The balls have become bigger and slower. And through the lawn they use today, the way they cut and lay it… the ball just bounces much higher.”
tennisnet: “They have been Lucas Pouille’s advisors for a few months now. “How would you describe your task?”
Tommy Haas: “I am a kind of advisor and one who passes on his experiences to him. Lucas has a good potential, he was already in the top ten for a short time. He can still improve greatly. Lucas hasn’t played so well in the last few months and is currently trying to reconnect. And I want to help him do that.”