Tennissport#

Tennis: During the reign of Emperor Ferdinand I (1503-1564), several "Ballhaeuser" ("ballhouses") were built (hence the name "Ballhausplatz" square in Vienna), in which an early form of tennis and Badminton were played. Up to the 19th century, tennis was strictly reserved for the aristocracy, and the earliest tennis clubs open to the public were founded around 1900 (Linz 1890, Vienna 1900). Between 1894 and 1914, the Austrian International Championships were held in Prague, and Austria occupied the 6th position in the world rankings. In 1902, the Austrian Lawn Tennis Association was founded in Vienna (1st president: J. Ebermann) and the first professional competition (men and women) in Austria was held. F. Matejka and H. Redl were the most celebrated Austrian players between the wars. The first tournament after World War II was the "Alpenlaenderpokal" in Kitzbuehel, Tirol, organised by W. Foeger in 1945. In 1947, Austria was again allowed to participate in international tournaments. After 1967, the leading Austrian tennis player was H. Kary. A training centre was opened at Suedstadt near Vienna in 1975 and the Austria Tennis Pool, set up in 1974, was entrusted with the task of safeguarding the financial aspects of the sport (sponsoring). The most outstanding Austrian male tennis player in recent years has been T. Muster, other successful players are H. Skoff and A. Antonitsch; famous women players are P. Schwarz-Ritter, B. Paulus and J. Wiesner. The most important tennis competitions in Austria are held in Kitzbuehel and in the Stadthalle multipurpose hall in Vienna.

Literature#