Philipp Kohlschreiber celebrated his greatest success so far at a Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon in 2012 with his entry into the quarter-finals. This time too, everything is going well for the 34-year-old from Augsburg, who is in the third round. Nevertheless, for him not everything is pink in the white lawn Mecca.
They keep the traditions high at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Philipp Kohlschreiber was already aware of this when he made his main field debut on Church Road in 2005. 13 years later, the veteran still likes to come to the southwest of London. But the really big feelings will probably no longer arise between “Kohli” and Wimbledon, this very different event in the colourful tournament calendar.
“Even though I’ve celebrated my best result at a Grand Slam tournament so far, it’s a little love-hate,” said Kohlschreiber after the tiebreak thriller against Gilles Muller from Luxembourg (7:6, 7:6, 7:6, 7:6) and said: “If you play well here, everything is okay. But at the beginning of the week I always find it very strenuous. You have to fight for places, for example.”
In 2017 Kohlschreiber had to share the training court with three others because he was not seeded. “Besides, you can’t play on the court where you’re playing your match. “There are just little things that make me see other tournaments better.”
The World Ranking-27th is one who also likes to train a lot during the event. “I want to get used to the conditions on the courts, but that’s not easy here,” he said.
In Wimbledon you don’t have access to the courts until 10am. “I’m always one of the first on the course in New York,” Kohlschreiber emphasized: “I train there at 7.30 a.m., then I can play exercises with my trainer for an hour and a half and get a good feeling.
The flair of the third major of the season is of course “great”, something “very special”. It looks “beautiful” when everyone plays in white. But especially for the three-time Munich winner there is also the other side: “I can’t get to my tennis lessons here, which I would need to increase my level”. On Saturday he will meet the US Open finalist Kevin Anderson from South Africa (No. 8).
However, there is still a chance that the love-hate relationship will develop into something completely stunning and breathtaking. “If I win Wimbledon, it will surely be my favourite tournament,” said Kohlschreiber with a wink.