Thomas Emmrich
Thomas Emmrich ( born July 21, 1953 in Berlin) was a tennis player in the GDR.
Career
Emmrich is 47 times GDR champion with 16 titles in singles and 31 in doubles and mixed doubles titles ( 1970-1988 ). Counting the youth championship and team championship titles added, he comes to well over 100 DDR Champion title, as was once detected in the GDR TV show maverick leader. Since the tennis port in the GDR was not particularly significant, especially after 1968 /69 when he was taken out of competitive sport promotion, Emmrich could not " capitalist countries " travel to and participate in the tournaments. After a tournament in Sofia was probably enhanced because of the sponsor Volvo for ATP tournament, Emmrich but could participate once in his life at a professional tournament, reaching the second round after successfully recovering from qualification. The double elimination he could even win together with a Czech partner. Overall, Emmrich earned in this tournament converted about 2000 € prize money, which he described as amateur but could not accept what a mitgereister GDR functionaries strictly respected. Emmrichs proposal to let the money benefit the East German Tennis Federation, was not paying attention, so the prize money fell into disrepair. Short term Emmrich was performed on the ATP world rankings, his highest position was number 482 on 22 December 1980.
In the Universiade ( World University Championships ) was second in the double Emmrich 1977, fourth in the individual 1973 and 1981; at least once international master of all European socialist countries, with the exception of Czechoslovakia. Emmrich could, among other things in the final of the indoor tournament in Sofia in 1975 Leo Palin (Finland ) beat, who had previously defeated a Wimbledon finalist in 1973, Alexander Metreweli from the USSR. Also won during his career Emmrich Tomáš Šmíd and in one of two matches against the subsequent No. 1 tennis world rankings Ivan Lendl, but was still quite young at this meeting.
Since the age of 17 Emmrich was the No. 1 ranking in the GDR, in which he remained for 16 years undefeated in singles. At Emmrich Awards received in the GDR the title of Master of Sports and the Artur Becker Medal FDJ in silver. Despite repeated requests Emmrich stepped up to the turn of the SED at never.
The young seniors (35 to 45 years ) was Emmrich European champion in 1995 and 96 in doubles, Vice European champion in singles in 1996 and German champion in singles and doubles in 1991 and 1992. Between 1998 and 2003, Emmrich five German Senior Champion in the age group (AK ) 50 . In 2003, Emmrich was in the German team, the world champion of the teams in the AK 50 was. In the same year he became Vice World Champion in doubles, the AK 50 ( 2003). In 2006, Emmrich both German Champion and European Champion in the age group 50 . In the men's 55, he became German champion 2008 team together with the team of TC White Blue Hemer.
Emmrichs shortest game lasted 18 minutes - 6-0, 6-0 in the final of an East German pioneer championship early 60s in Blankenburg. His longest game lasted 4:45 hrs - 1970 in Kiev at 6:4, 2:6, 5:7, 10:8, 6:4 against Koljaskin (USSR) in the tournament final of the junior top socialist countries.
In 1990, Emmrich marry his playing in the tennis Regional wife Monika, with whom he was living at that time more than ten years. The couple has two children, the 1984 -born professional tennis player Martin Emmrich and the four years older than Manuela. He now runs a tennis academy in Hilden.