Davis Cup

12/01/2021 | News release | Distributed by Public on 12/01/2021 04:26

Raising the bar: high jump champion Carlo Thranhardt and the marginal gains he offers Germany

In the hour before Germany's quarter-final showdown with Great Britain, Carlo Thranhardt is on court, his eyes transfixed on everything Jan-Lennard Struff is doing as he prepares for his showdown with Cameron Norrie later that evening.

Thranhardt is Germany's fitness and mental coach and has become an integral member of his nation's Davis Cup backroom team since his appointment in 2015, working particularly closely with world No. 51 Struff.

During a distinguished track and field career, Thranhardt was among the very best high jumpers in the world and won gold at the 1983 European Indoor Championships and four silver medals during the 1980s. Outdoors, he claimed bronze at the 1986 Europeans.

Put simply, Thranhardt has pedigree. He set three world records and is a member of an exclusive club of competitors to have cleared 2.40 metres or higher. His last record was 2.42m in 1988, while he has continued to trailblaze in the Masters 55 age group.

Having worked with six-time Grand slam champion Boris Becker in the 1980s and 90s and more recently with Philipp Kohlschreiber and Peter Gojowczyk, Thranhardt was hired for Davis Cup duty by Klaus Eberhard, the German Tennis Federation's sporting director.

The 64-year-old brings a different perspective to the Germany camp as well as a winning mentality, and while calm and measured on the sidelines, the on-court combat between players stimulates his competitive juices.

"I would much rather have been a tennis player than a high jumper," said Thranhardt. "I have loved tennis since I was eight or nine years old, but when I was growing up there was no tennis in my area. I played handball and basketball and became involved in tennis later on.

"The main thing when you are a high jumper with a couple of world records, you know how to make muscles react and contract as much as possible, and it is amazing to see what happens when you are one-tenth of a second quicker to a backhand.

"I help so a player is on the ball earlier and can play even more effectively with his existing skills. After many years of competitive sport, I know what sustainability, speed and discipline mean. Athletes deal very intensively with coordination and speed and tennis players can benefit from this.

"I really like the components of tennis: fitness, power and mental strength. High jump is quite simple, you have to go over the bar as much as possible. Tennis is more man against man and more challenging. That man versus man element is so much fun.

"Also, in track and field, you are always alone, so it is much nicer to be involved with a team and pass on the experiences you have had in your life. Sometimes it is interesting to tell them about being No. 1 in world and maybe it helps a little."

Thranhardt also focuses upon the mental side of performance, but believes any psychological edges that a player can develop and harness are firmly rooted in physical preparation and excellence.

"I wouldn't differentiate between fitness and psyche that much, they belong together," added Thranhardt. "It is like a mosaic, with small stones put together to form a complete mosaic.

"It is vital to prepare as correct as possible and have the highest possible accuracy. This is how players can create mental strength. You cannot sit down and talk about mental strength. The best possible training allows a player to get mentally strong."

There is no doubt that Thranhardt's presence has been beneficial and continues to be a significant weapon within Germany's armoury as they bid to claim a first Davis Cup title for nearly 30 years.

Three-time winners Germany last topped the podium in 1993, but after ending their quarter-final hoodoo with a pulsating victory against Great Britain on Tuesday, Michael Kohlmann's team are now bound for Madrid.

Struff more than played his part as Germany halted a six-tie losing streak in Davis Cup quarter-finals, defeating world No. 12 Norrie to haul his nation level in the tie and pave the way for Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz to triumph in the doubles.

On Saturday, Germany will face the winners of the quarter-final between the Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) and Sweden in the Spanish capital - their first Davis Cup semi-final since 2007.

For Struff, Thranhardt is a contributing factor to their success and a calming influence for the players, with the 31-year-old, who made his Davis Cup debut in March 2015 against France, valuing the presence of such a heralded sporting figure.

"He is a legendary person," said Struff. "He is a very famous high jumper in Germany and when I got to know him through Davis Cup, he is a very relaxed and cool person.

"My first Davis Cup tie, I went outside with him before my match to get some air. He is very easy and so I calmed down a little bit and that was very nice.

"We always warm up very well and what he does very well is work on the explosive stuff and the movement which athletes have.

"When we do the warm-ups, he always puts things in which are different to what I am used to do. Everything he does with us is quality and he has different insights and brings different slants."

Kohlmann, who has been a composed presence on the Germany bench throughout the Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals 2021 in Innsbruck, is another who values the input and experience of Thranhardt.

"He is very important for our team," said Kohlmann. "Since he has been with us on the support staff, he has brought something extra. He was a world-class athlete and on top of the world for a long, long time and still has records.

"He knows what it takes to bring your best on the big occasion. It is something we have been trying to achieve for a number of years, especially as we were not getting beyond the quarter-finals.

"He is a very positive and relaxed guy and we are very happy to have him on our team."

Thranhardt has been flying high for most of his professional life, and that is exactly what Kohlmann, Struff and the remainder of the Germany team will be doing should their Davis Cup odyssey have the happiest of endings.