ATP Challenger: 5.

What links Jan-Lennard Struff, Alexander Zverev, Nikoloz Basilashvili and Filip Krajinovic? They all have already won the NECKARCUP and adorn the announcement poster for this year’s ATP-Challenger event in Heilbronn. Four players who have established themselves in the men’s tennis elite series since their triumph at the Trappensee tennis court.

It will therefore be a small jubilee, when from 12. until 20. This year, professional tennis players from all over the world will be playing in the fifth edition of the clay court tournament. While the cracks last year still played for a total prize money of 64,000 euros, they can look forward to a distribution pot of 85,000 euros plus hospitality in 2018.

However, the event is not associated with any other name as closely as with the director of the tournament. Since 2013, Metehan Cebeci, known as “Cebi”, has been responsible for ensuring a smooth process. The native Turkish sounds relaxed when asked about the current state of preparations:”There is no stress,” he says in a calm voice. The tasks within the 12-month preliminary phase are also clearly distributed. He receives energetic support in terms of tournament organisation from his wife Mine, whose business colleague Tom Bucher is in charge of public relations and sponsorship.

It’s not only the prize money, but also the whole thing around it. Shuttle service, catering for the players, fees for the referees. 300 overnight stays have to be arranged and paid for in the 9 days of the tournament,” says Cebeci. 20,000 euros to 25,000 euros make up the “+H” alone as an addition to hospitality in the official tournament calendar of the ATP.

The real focus of the professional tennis coach, who as a Turkish national youth player and Württemberg champion has also had some successes as a player himself, is on sportsmanship. More prize money also means more world ranking points for the players. Instead of 90 ATP World Ranking Points, this year’s winner will have a proud 100 points in his account.

“Right from the start, our goal was to advance to this level with the tournament. Now we’re going to get down to business and hope to be able to present very good players,” says the 48-year-old, hoping at the same time for “one or two players from the top 50 and four to five players from the top 100”.

For Cebeci it was never an option to distribute the initial fees. By cooperating with the German Tennis Federation, he can also rely on the fact that most local heroes will take advantage of the chance to hit the ground at home. There are not too many possibilities for the German cracks on ATP-Challenger level anyway.

Nevertheless, the NECKARCUP will compete with four other ATP-Challenger tournaments in the week before qualifying for the French Open. The largest is held in Bordeaux, France, with a total prize money of 106,000 euros. Other parallel events will be held in Lisbon, South Korea’s Busan and Samarkand, Uzbekistan. In addition, this week the tennis circus will also be giving guest performances at the ATP World Tour level with one of its Masters 1000 events in Rome.

Cebeci will take his time with the wildcards:”Two years ago I was a bit too fast. I learned from that,” he says with a smile. At that time, Serbian Janko Tipsarevic was given the chance to bring the tournament director to Heilbronn. Equipped with an invitation from Cebeci, the former top 10 player eventually withdrew before the tournament was due to injury,”I chose Tipsarevic over Kyle Edmund, who had also asked for help. Cebeci smiles, referring to the surprise success of the Briton at this year’s Australian Open, where he stormed into the semi-finals.

Regardless of the number of participants, visitors of the NECKARCUPS will be able to look forward to the usual high-calibre side events. Once again, the “Game of the Day” will only be played after 7 p. m. in floodlight in the “Night Sessions”, before the spectators can experience entertainment highlights in the event tent with catering.

The ATP Challenger Tournament begins with two qualifying days where entry is free. On the days of 14. till 18. The entrance fee for adults is 10 euros for the first day of May and 8 euros for pupils and students. Admission to the Night Sessions on these days from 6.30 pm is 5 Euro each. For semi-final and final on 19. and 20. Adults pay 15 euros and schoolchildren/students 12 euros. Season tickets for all tournament days cost 70 Euro or 50 Euro.

And if Cebeci could pick a headline after the final, what would it say?”Successful 5th place. NECKARCUP with German winner,” says the Istanbul-born rider. The odds are good. In the history of the tournament so far, this wish has already been fulfilled twice.