![[Translate to EN:] Fritz Mitteregger](https://www.kitzbuehel.com/uploads/blog/_processed_/7/3/csm_fritz-mittereregger_portrait_19cf5ea23d.jpg)
Fritz on Tour
Welcome dear tennis friends to the 72nd Kitzbühel ATP Tennis Tournament - Generali Open 2016 from July 17 to 23 again on our well prepared tennis courts.
Fritz - our "hero on the tennis court"
Fritz Mitteregger is our hero on the court and has been part of the inventory of the Kitzbühel Tennis Club for 34 years. Since three years Fritz is already retired but still indispensable for the tennis world. Together with his team he takes care of the correct set-up of the clay courts as well as many other important activities around the tennis tournament. Fritz is actually a trained confectioner, he was responsible for years for the legendary lemon and Langer rolls in the former confectionery Langer.
Best maintained sand courts
For a long time, Fritz was employed by the Kitzbühel mountain railroad in the winter, and the job as a groundskeeper in the summer at the Kitzbühel Tennis Club came just in time. So all the tennis stars at the annual tournaments in Kitzbühel were assured of perfectly maintained clay courts. For Fritz, working on the tennis court is like a vocation, which he carries out with passion even in his retirement. Fritz is also well known as a weather expert, his forecasts are usually accurate to the minute. At the moment Fritz is again very busy with the preparations around the Generali Open from 17-23.7.2016. With him this year again our Austrian tennis hero Dominic Thiem. The defending champion of 2015 and Kitzbühel native Philipp Kohlschreiber will also be there again.
A long history of tennis
1. My personal "favorite tennis player" is.... - and remains Alex Correja (Spaniard), a sir on the tennis court.
2. When does your day always start when the tennis world is a guest in Kitzbühel? - The alarm clock rings at 5 a.m., and depending on the weather, it goes on into the evening, especially when qualifying matches take place.
3. Can you tell us a funny anecdote from a famous tennis player? - There was a No.1 player who preferred to dilute his chamomile tea with schnapps and still won. These players no longer exist today.
4. Why is the altitude in Kitzbühel (761m) always an issue for tennis players? - The balls bounce higher than elsewhere. Many players often travel earlier to get ready for it. Like many things, it's a purely mental matter.
5. When is it called "New Balls" in a tennis game and why? - The players play themselves in for about 5 minutes, after the 7th game the balls are exchanged and later at the 9th game the balls are exchanged again. The felt layer comes off and the balls become too smooth. Many players also have sawdust in their pocket. This is to prevent the club handle from slipping out of the hand.
6. Did you used to party during the tournament days from time to time? - Yes, and how. Today there is no more of that. It used to be a lot more informal.
7. Is there a special secret to the racket stringing? - The stringing depending on 24-28 kg depending on the humidity, here every player has his own secret.
8. Do you play tennis? - No, I have never played tennis myself.
9. What is the secret of your success? - Every court is different and needs its own care. Over the years I work with the moon, my secret helper. When the moon is waning, you can water as much as you want, the water seeps into the soil. When the moon is waxing, it stays on the surface and forms varnish.
10. After a successful tennis tournament I recover... - in the mountains.