ITF Pro Circuit meets... Stefan Seifert

Shortly after turning 27 at the end of February, Seifert had more celebrating to do following back-to-back Canadian title wins in the first half of March. We were able to briefly catch up with the german player.

ITF Pro Circuit: Can you tell us where were you born and maybe describe the area where you grew up?

Stefan Seifert : I was born in Hanover in the middle of Germany and I still live there.

ITF Pro Circuit: What can you tell us about your current coach?

Stefan Seifert: When I am in Germany I practice in Offenbach at the Schüttler-Waske Tennis University.

ITF Pro Circuit: Who were/are your tennis idols?

Stefan Seifert: I grew up in the 90s when tennis was very popular in Germany because of Boris Becker, Michael Stich and Steffi Graf. Certainly Boris Becker is one of my idols, I spent so many hours in front of the TV watching his matches.

ITF Pro Circuit: What is your greatest tennis memory either as a player or as a fan?

Stefan Seifert: When the Tennis Masters was in Hanover from 1996 to 1999 I was a ballkid there. The five-set-final between Becker and Sampras is probably my greatest tennis memory.

ITF Pro Circuit: If you had not become a tennis player what career path would you have liked to have followed?

Stefan Seifert: Hmm, my father is a mathematician. I'm also interested in natural sciences. I think I would have studied something in that way.

ITF Pro Circuit: In your opinion, what would you say are the best and worst aspects of being a professional tennis player?

Stefan Seifert: A positive aspect is that you see a lot of beautiful places and meet a lot of nice people all over the world, but the negative aspect is that you spend very few weeks at home.

ITF Pro Circuit: So far in your career, what has been the nicest venue that you played at?

Stefan Seifert: I really like the Gerry Weber Open in Halle/Westfalen. But I was not so lucky there, three times I was first out of the qualification.

ITF Pro Circuit: Speaking of other players (past & present), whose attributes would you take to create your own female super player?