MUNICH, April 25, 2017
Tommy Haas is ready to compete on German soil and met the media on Tuesday at Munich’s Airport ahead of this year’s BMW Open by FWU AG, starting next Saturday.
“It is always nice to be in Munich. It has been some but time passes quickly,” Haas told a couple of journalists at Munich’s airport.
“It’s great to see my parents, my family. I am trying to prepare for the BMW Open as good as possible, as it will be my last time here playing at the venue of the MTTC Iphitos. I just hope for some good weather during the week. Temperatures above 13, 14 degrees Celsius will help my “old bones” to compete at highest level.”
Good Results In Monte Carlo
In the midst of his 10th comeback, the 39-year-old has returned to winning ways at the ATP Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo last week, beating Benoit Paire in the opening round.
During the match against the Frenchman, Paire criticized Haas, saying: “He is null, if I play for two seconds I win 6-2, 6-2″, said Paire about the former world no. 2 from Germany.
“He is a pretty crazy on the court like me, so I wasn’t mad at him,” Haas told in Munich. “He apologized after the encounter and that is totally acceptable, as there are a lot emotions going on on the court.”
In the second round, Haas pushed world no. 13 Tomas Berdych the distance, which showed the competitiveness of the veteran. Might there even be a chance to reconsider his decision to retire by the end of the season?
Haas attended a tennis event for the media representatives at Munich’s airport
“You need to be at 100 per cent to compete at highetst level. Maybe there will be the chance of gaining one or another good win but I have run out of strengths to play qualifications or compete at ATP Challenger or ITF level.
“I would also like to see my two daughters growing up. So I need to be careful that I do not play too long on the tour, sitting in a wheelchair eventually,” Haas told with a smile.
Haas’ New Role As Tournament Director
Earlier this year, Haas played a different role at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, serving as the tournament director. Asked, if anything surprised him at his new job, the 15 times ATP World Tour titlist, answered:
“I have been spending a lot of time on the tour, so I knew a bit what is going on behind the scenes. The most difficult thing for me was the scheduling of the tournament with all the different parties such as the WTA, ATP, the different TV-stations, as well as the special requests by Federer or Nadal. It is not easy to make everyone happy. Nonetheless, it was a great experience and Indian Wells itself is just a great place.”
Haas will open his Munich campaign on Monday May 1. Main draw ceremony of the ATP 250 event is going to take place on Saturday, 11 am local time at the MTTC Iphitos.
