Horst Skoff

Horst Skoff ( born August 22, 1968 in Klagenfurt, † June 7, 2008 in Hamburg) was an Austrian tennis player.

Life and career

1989 defeated Skoff in the Davis Cup quarterfinals in Ferry Dusika Stadium Mats Wilander after 6 hours and 4 minutes with 6:7, 7:6, 1:6, 6:4, 9:7. This was the longest match in the history of the Davis Cup after the introduction of the tiebreaker. A stir Skoff again in 1989 provides, as he could, among other things Goran Ivanisevic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals and Boris Becker 7-6, 6-2 defeat at the tournament in Hamburg ( $ 500,000 ). Only in the final, he defeated Ivan Lendl 4:6, 1:6, 3:6.

His best world ranking he reached in 1990 with 18th place at this position he is measured according to Thomas Muster, Jurgen Melzer and Gilbert Schaller and Stefan Koubek before the fourth most successful Austrian tennis player.

Despite these successes, the Austrian Davis Cup team, he was experiencing the bitter defeats of his career there. In 1990, he lost in the semi-final encounter against the USA at the Ernst Happel Stadium against Michael Chang despite 2-0 set lead on Sunday to end played the score of 2-1 on Monday and broken game. 1994 in Unterpremstätten he lost again the decisive individual, this time against Marc -Kevin Goellner after Thomas Muster had to 2:2 balanced in the fifth set against Michael Stich for a 12:10. After the match, said Skoff: " Now I'm the loser of the nation. "

But public attention was his private life. For example, stirred up a temporary liaison with the former Miss World Ulla Weigerstorfer media interest.

The Austrian Tennis audience paid homage to his former star (even in his absence ), every year with " Hoorsti, Hoorsti ...! " Chants at the ATP tournament in the Wiener Stadthalle. The first Austrian won this tournament in 1988 Skoff. It was not until 21 years later was able to win in the city hall with Jurgen Melzer again an Austrian.

For a 1997 marked a lifelong ban for doping of ATP ( because he had not submitted a urine sample allegedly ) he had successfully processed and are rewarded by a comparison with the ATP 2008 compensation of an unknown amount.

Skoff ended his career after numerous Challenger and Futures tournaments in 1999, his last match on the ATP Tour, he played on 10 August 1995 San Marino ( 2nd round).

Sudden death

From 2007 was Skoff top sports speaker in the Carinthian tennis national association of public workers' union and the owners Horst Skoff - Academy ( TC Hoska ) in Klagenfurt- Welzenegg. Skoff died on 7 June 2008 at the Hospital St. Georg in Hamburg, after he was found unconscious in the Hanseatic city on the same day. The cause of death is a heart attack has been detected. Less than a week before his death he had taken yet for a national league team at the Carinthian team championship.

Horst Skoff was buried on 21 June in the cemetery of his hometown Kühndorf in the market town of boars village.

Tournament Win

Singles

Doubles

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