Women’s tennis national coach Beltz in conversation: SZ interview at the Australian Open

Motivator and helper in all situations: The new national coach Torben Beltz experiences the special features of tennis at the Australian Open – he talks about key moments with Angelique Kerber, the effect of body language and his vision.

Torben Beltz is still out of breath when he appears for a conversation on the terrace in the Australian Tennis Association building – he never thought that his working day would turn out like this: The young Hamburger Eva Lys slipped into the main draw as a lucky loser, but as a result she only had 20 minutes to prepare for your game. Because her father and coach Vladimir had to leave after qualifying – Lys, 22, had failed in the last round – Beltz suddenly found himself as a substitute coach. He has been the national coach of the German tennis players for a month and speaks in an interview about this unusual day, what it has to do with Angelique Kerber’s Australian Open victory in 2016, and what he plans for German tennis.