Barbara Schett
Novak Djokovic once even brought her flowers
She was the No. 7 tennis player in the world, is very close to the stars on TV and tournament ambassador for the Upper Austria Ladies Linz: Barbara Schett told the "Krone" newspaper who she likes to interview the most, how bad things are in Austrian tennis and what is going better in her adopted home of Australia.
Kronen Zeitung als bevorzugte Google-Quelle hinzufügen "Krone": Barbara, you came to Linz straight from the Australian Open. In Melbourne, you even got a TV interview with Novak Djokovic after he didn't give one on Court Jim Courier!
Barbara Schett: Yes, I didn't expect that either. I really appreciate it. But the players also know that it's Babsi anyway, so the interview is relaxed anyway. I always try to include lots of relaxed questions that bring out the personality - and not always just forehands and backhands.
Who is your favorite person to interview?
I love talking to Novak! Not because he once even brought me flowers - but you can really have fun with him, you always get really good answers. The same goes for Zverev and Medvedev, they also have personality. And as a South Tyrolean, Sinner is close to my heart anyway. I also like Sabalenka, she's always in a good mood. Rybakina, on the other hand, is disastrous, she's emotionless and just doesn't say anything.
Do hoppalas sometimes happen?
Regularly! But I'm pain-free, I've been at it so long that nothing embarrasses me anymore.
How would you describe the state of Austria's women's tennis team? We don't have a player in the top 200!
The situation is very dismal when you look at the women's and men's rankings together, we've never had such poor rankings. We have always been a tennis nation. There is a bit of catching up, but to really make it is a tough story in tennis - the others don't sleep.
Why is it that not too much is happening at the moment?
That's also the way things are today. Children do less sport and prefer to hang out on their cell phones. Many don't want to torture themselves and there are a lot of coaches who simply aren't good and just entertain the players during training - it's more like babysitting in some cases.
Your 15-year-old son also has more sports lessons at school in Australia!
That's right! I can only wonder what happens in Austria. In Australia, children do one or two hours of sport every day, and there's a huge amount on offer. My son wants to become a professional rugby player, it looks good.
This is your 20th time in Linz, but there is only one top 20 player.
It's really difficult to bring a top 10 player to Melbourne because of the date. They would have to retire early. If they get far, they're not interested. But the field is better than 2024, I don't see it as bad. It's still really attractive to watch!
What do you think about the Ukrainians refusing to shake hands with Russians, as Elina Svitolina did with Anna Blinkova, for example?
I understand it in a way, she wants to set an example and stand up for her motherland. She or Dayana Yastremska have experienced things - we can't comprehend all that.
Who will win the Upper Austria Ladies 2025?
Elina Svitolina, one of my two favorites, has already been eliminated, so only Karolina Muchova remains!
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