Alexander Waske has taken over the sporting management of the Boris Becker Tennis Academy.

This message has several levels of meaning, including a fundamental one.

The ambitious project to build the world's largest tennis facility in Hochheim am Main is finally implemented.

Peter Hess

sports editor.

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When the ground-breaking ceremony for the huge construction company took place almost two and a half years ago in the presence of the namesake, many dignitaries and several television cameras, doubts mingled with the general enthusiasm.

How is this gigantic project supposed to carry itself, which with 22 indoor courts, 18 outdoor courts, a hotel building, a boarding school, a functional building with fitness rooms, physiotherapy area and gastronomy as well as a small Boris Becker museum should have a dimension that surpasses everything that has ever been under the heading tennis school has been built?

Convinced of the business idea

In fact, the project was ill-fated from the start.

From the corona pandemic to the Ukraine war, from massive architect trouble to Becker's imprisonment, negative events accumulated that depressed the mood and delayed the already expensive construction project and made it even more expensive.

Daniel Koehler, one of the two equal investors, admits that "there was a time when it was discussed almost monthly whether it would continue at all or only in a slimmed-down form".

These considerations are off the table, a new building permit, extended after another property purchase, is available.

"I'm someone who finishes what he started," says Köhler, who is still convinced of the business idea.

"I have the stamina that is needed due to the delays." The financing is secured by equity.

Until recently, it was not Köhler but his partner Khaled Ezzedine who was the face of the project.

The tennis-loving real estate developer with Iranian roots had the idea for this huge academy and not only acted as company spokesman, but also as sports director.

His wishes and ideas were largely implemented in the planning.

Boris Becker added his expertise when asked.

In the meantime, a hall with eight courts and a physiotherapy department has been completed, and seven outdoor courts are ready to play.

Another training hall with four places should be completed next April, with the completion of all construction work expected in two years.

Then, if everything goes smoothly, 170 children and young people will fill the tennis boarding school with life, the private school is designed with 270 places (the management calculates with 100 tennis students sleeping at home), the hotel is planned with 110 rooms.

Organizing a tennis operation of this size would be far beyond the capabilities of real estate businessman Ezzedine.

In the search for a suitable academy director, as soon as training operations had slowly started, the name of Alexander Waske came into play.

The former Davis Cup player from Frankfurt has been running his "Tennis University" in Offenbach and Gravenbruch for many years and has made a good name for himself in the industry through the numerous successes of his students in Junior Grand Slam tournaments.

At the moment, the 47-year-old and his coaching team look after 35 players all year round, and his limited infrastructure means he can't do much more.