It's actually not a good time for large-scale projects. First came the pandemic, now there is a shortage of raw materials and personnel, but construction is still going on on the outskirts of Hochheim after the groundbreaking ceremony in the summer of 2020. Hall 1 is already in place, now it's the turn of the steel structure of Hall 3 and the shell of the main building, which has already worked its way up the third of five floors. At the end of September, the interior work in the future hotel and boarding school is to begin. So far, there have been no material problems, says Daniel Köhler, co-founder of the Boris Becker Tennis Academy. He has his office in a glass pavilion directly on site, always keeping an eye on the construction work. The city of Hochheim was also very accommodating to the builders and implemented the development plan in a record-breaking two months.

Andrea Diener

Correspondent in the Main-Taunus-Kreis

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However, things did not go very smoothly at the future tennis academy with the famous namesake. After the furious start, it was first necessary to replan and rethink, for example in fire protection. Also because another plot of land with 5700 square meters was added at short notice. Then they parted ways with the architect, who, according to the builders, had taken over with the project, not very amicably. "The change of architect took us a year," says Köhler. Now the architectural firm Fries from Koblenz will complete the project, and so far the cooperation has worked smoothly.

So far, only a black-encased colossus called Hall 1 has really been completed. The front part is rented to a physiotherapist with a gym. The eight courts are already being played, the joint-gentle granulate surface is illuminated with modern, glare-free LED sports lighting, and infrared gas emitters provide warmth. The remaining buildings will later be heated with district heating. The rainwater from the roofs is collected in cisterns with a capacity of 400,000 litres, because in addition to the hard courts, there are also some clay courts outside, and they have to be irrigated in summer. A single clay court consumes a whopping 200,000 to 250,000 litres per season. It is not yet certain whether a grass pitch will also be added.

International interested parties

Hall 3 stands as a steel outline, you can already guess the dimensions from Köhler's office pavilion. By the end of the year, five hard courts plus a gym and the academy's own physio practice will be built, as well as a bistro with an outdoor terrace for the breaks. Mobile grandstands can be set up for tournaments, previously they were held in Hall 1. "No one in Germany has a hall like this," says Köhler. "Our goal is to get tournaments in the order of 25,000 to 28,000 matches."

There are a lot of superlatives during the tour of the 55,000 square meters, which are divided into five construction phases. Construction phases one to three are currently being implemented, and the city has currently accommodated refugees on one of the added plots. In Europe, there are only three facilities that are comparable to this, on Mallorca and in Nice, the latter visited the tennis-loving children of Köhler's business partner Khaled Ezzedine, a real estate entrepreneur from Wiesbaden. And then he wondered why there was nothing comparable in Germany. That's how the two came up with the idea of the boarding school, where up to 270 students can be taught.

The English-language boarding school is run by the private school operator Obermayr, which already has locations in Schwalbach and Wiesbaden-Erbenheim. The proximity is an advantage: Because it will be scarce to move into the classrooms as early as the start of the school year in late summer 2024, the children could be temporarily brought there by shuttles and then train in Hochheim. In this way, the operators do not lose another entire school year. After all, there are already quite a few inquiries, and the interested parties are widely spread internationally, from Rhine-Main to China. This is also made possible by the good accessibility near Frankfurt Airport.

Large target group

Of course, not all children who attend the tennis boarding school later become professional players, says Köhler. But here sport is added as a secondary virtue: children who play sports usually scored one grade better at school, and it also conveyed discipline and team spirit. This is not cheap, parents will pay 62,000 euros per year. However, there should also be scholarships. And the sporting management will be taken over by a proven trainer: Alexander Waske will move his tennis academy from Offenbach to Hochheim and promote young talents here from now on.

However, the facility wants to appeal to everyone who likes to play tennis, and since the sport can be practiced into old age, the target group is large. Most German halls were built during the tennis fever of the eighties and are now outdated, says Köhler. In addition, many tennis clubs do not have halls that can be used in winter, so the Hochheimers want to help out here as well. However, if you still want a winter subscription in Hall 1, you have to hurry, the best time slots are already gone.

The Dorint Group will also operate a four-star hotel with 110 rooms and a restaurant in the main building, which is scheduled to open in early 2025. It will be available for leisure and conferences, and a center court will be built directly in front of it. Hotels with enough tennis courts are rare, even as a group of friends you should be able to spend a few days here. Of course, a wellness area is also planned, and a pool is to be built on the roof. This is also good for Hochheim: The range of hotel beds in the cozy wine-growing town is not exactly lavish, especially not in the upscale area. Once operations are up and running, the city can only benefit from it.