“The season was nothing short of dramatic. Tennis fans were offered everything that makes up the strongest league in the world,” was the positive conclusion of DTB President Dietloff von Arnim, who himself was a member of the new German champions for several years: “I congratulate TC Großhesselohe on their first German team championship title. The team played their best tennis in the important moments and deservedly won after nine match days. The fact that they are now celebrating their first championship since the club was founded in 1925 is also due to the consistently good work that is being done there.”
Suspense until the last rally
On the last match day, in addition to TC Großhesselohe, the team Marc O’ Polo Rosenheim, Kurhaus Lambertz Aachen and TC Bredeney also had a chance of winning the title. TC Großhesselohe and Rosenheim were even tied at 11:5 points. TC Großhesselohe went into the decisive match day with the advantage of having won more matches and knew how to use this to their advantage. They had already secured the title after the singles. The decisive match point was provided by the Austrian Lukas Neumayer, who won the fourth singles match against Calvin Hemery 6:1, 0:6, 11:9. The subsequent doubles were not played.
“The championship is something very special for everyone in the club just before the club’s 100th anniversary. The team played a fantastic season,” said TCG Bundesliga sports director Bernard Eßmann. Team manager Christopher Kas was also overjoyed after the victory and said: “That was a great team performance this season. Our team has developed a lot in recent years.”
The victory of TC Großhesselohe at FTC Palmengarten also sealed the relegation of the Frankfurt team, who finished the season in 9th place. The battle in the bottom of the table was just as exciting as the battle at the top of the table – here too, five teams could have been affected on the last match day. Only the direct relegation of promoted team TC Augsburg Siebentisch was already certain after the penultimate match day on Friday.
Many tennis fans there live – on site or via stream
Several thousand spectators at the venues created a special atmosphere this season. At the match between Mannheim and Rosenheim, 3,400 fans even came to see Dominic Thiem’s last appearance for Mannheim.
The proximity to the players on the club grounds is unique and cannot be experienced like this at any other tournament. The team appearance is also a welcome change from the daily routine of the tour for both the players and the fans. But the strongest league in the world was not only experienced on site. Tennis Channel broadcast all matches live.
