Seeking shots. Expat Tennis Player’s Journeys In Berlin
Berlin’s tech startup growth has attracted a new wave of tennis players. As Germany’s strong tennis areas are based in the west of the country, it can be a challenge to get involved in Berlin’s tennis community. Two expats in Berlin tell their story from landing in the city to finding their place on court.
How long have you lived in Berlin & why here?
Zvonko Grujic: This time for 3.5 years, previously for 2.5 years. I moved with my wife as I really liked the city and I work here as a software engineer.
Julia Marinchenko: Almost 3 years. I moved to experience a new city, live outside Russia — out of curiosity — and for the French cheese!
Tell us about your tennis activity before arriving in Berlin?
ZG: I started playing tennis when I was 7 years old and joined my local club in Croatia. No one in my family played tennis but there was a club next to my school and at the time Goran Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon winner, was very big on the ATP Tour and he was someone I looked up to. Funnily enough, that was the year when I stopped playing! Other interests and puberty I guess.
I started playing competitively when I was 9 years old and I was the regional champion aged 10 in Umag, Istria — there’s an ATP tournament there now. My best ranking was 17 or 18. I guess at some point I got bored and stopped playing, unfortunately. I wish I continued. I had a break for 15 years, maybe played 10 times, and when I moved to Berlin for the second time I was introduced to a tennis trainer through my wife’s work.
JM: I played as a child for 6 years in school. There were no opportunities to continue at university. Before coming to Berlin I played for a month or two in Moscow.
How were your experiences finding a club, people to play with etc.
ZG: I had a few lessons with the trainer but wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with tennis. The trainer introduced me to Jakub, the Jugendwart at Grun Gold Club in Pankow. I played with him and a few of the guys in the winter and he asked me to join the club as their Men’s 30 team needed support. I joined the club at the beginning of 2017. It’s been great — I have played a lot of tennis and check in on FourSquare each time. I’ve had around 50 check ins each year so I guess I play there twice a week! (Outdoor clubs generally have a 6 month season during spring and summer). I started with the men’s team and, this season we managed to get promoted to the Meisterklasse, the premier league of Berlin.
Playing for the team allowed me to explore the city and took me to places I would never otherwise go, like Wusterhausen, 50km north of Berlin and some clubs in the south with really nice clubhouses. A lot of the guys in the team are now really good friends. We have a good chemistry and the relationship is much more than just tennis. We train twice a week and have a beer and dinner afterwards. It’s a very social place and there’s quite a few events. For two years I’ve also participated in the Berlin mixed league — it’s also a fun experience and, in general, the competition structure is well organised. There’s tournaments around Berlin almost every week for all age groups.
JM: When I moved here I joined a MeetUp group where I found some partners, then Facebook groups and began to understand how to book courts and everything. I’ve now played for 2 years. I first went online because in Russia there is no club culture. There was a problem in finding places to play because most of the clubs don’t have a very transparent system of how to book a court or some of them don’t even allow it. We mostly played at TC Mitte because it was easy to book.
What would your ideal city tennis community feature?
ZG: Personally, what needs improvement is access to information — a better level of digital access. Some services are connected but not fully — it’s a bit fragmented — there’s no proper app for that, it’s very 2002.
JM: The two most important things are courts and playing partners. Obviously I would like to have access to public courts like they have in the US and Canada. What I actually miss here is people who are motivated to play regularly and strive to improve. I would like to have that in the next place I move to.
If you were to move from Berlin, which aspects of the city’s tennis would you like to take with you?
ZG: I’m shortly moving to London and I would like to find a club with a nice clubhouse and a group of guys in my age group with a team in a league. I’d also like to socialise and find friends.
JM: The online community is strong — that’s how I found most of my partners. I really enjoyed the summer as I had unlimited court time at my club (Blau Gold Steglitz) and could play a lot.
What are your tennis dreams over the next 5 years?
ZG: I want to continue improving my game, especially my serve and backhand. My son is one year old so hopefully in 5 years he’ll be able to hit some balls over the net! Maybe I’ll get a basic coaching license as well so he can’t tell me, “Dad you’re not a coach!”
JM: I’d like to improve my competitive play and my technique.
Thanks to Zvonko & Julia — we wish them well on court & off it in Berlin’s Silicon Allee & London’s tech community
Training, events & European city trips for starter — advanced players via The Tennis Trainer.
This article was published during the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. #Mauerfall30
