Tommy Haas shares biggest career ‘frustration’ and reveals one change he would make to tennis
Former world No 2 Tommy Haas has admitted his greatest career frustration was “not winning a Slam” as he shared he thought tennis was in a “very healthy state.”
Haas was a hugely accomplished player during his career, winning 15 ATP titles and an Olympic silver medal during his 20-year career.
However, he was never quite able to reach a Grand Slam final, losing three Australian Open semi-finals – in 1999, 2002, and 2007 – and a Wimbledon semi-final in 2009.
Though he was undoubtedly an incredible player in his day the German, who is still in the spotlight thanks to his role as Indian Wells tournament director, admitted that never winning one of the four biggest titles in tennis had been a “frustration” for him.
Speaking to We Are Tennis, he said: “At the end of the day that’s all you can say, the frustration for me was not winning a Slam.
“You can ask: ‘why didn’t it happen for me?’ I made it to the semifinals four times. You try to dissect those matches and you look at the ones where you did have a chance and whether you were outplayed or didn’t play your best and so on. That’s really all.
“It’s easy to say if I could turn back time. I’d be happier if I’d been more mature or with more experience earlier on at a younger age in order to pursue those dreams, but I wouldn’t have changed anything.
“My career was quite interesting, my dad teaching me tennis and then going to Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, leaving Germany at age 12 trying to pursue my dreams there, turning pro at 18 after I got my high school degree. Everything was in place, and I played by the book and believed and knew that was going to be my path.
“When you have those dreams as a young boy of holding up those big trophies, most want to hold up that Wimbledon trophy and it doesn’t happen, you have to accept it and say I tried my best and now you just watch other people hold it up every year.”
In his Indian Wells role, Haas is still someone of huge importance to the sport, organising and running one of the biggest tournaments in the world.
And he believes that the sport is in a good place – though admitted he would like to see the let call rule changed.
Haas added: “I think it is in a very healthy state. You look at tournaments all around the world and look at which directions they have gone, it’s pretty spectacular.
“One thing I’d change potentially right now, I think I’d get rid of lets. If I was still a player I may have doubts about it, but as a spectator, as a viewer every time a let is called, I think come on just play.”