T Tennis

Simon Berger poses with the tournament trophy. © ASC St. Georgen Tennis

Simon Berger: From ice hockey professional to tennis champion

"I would never have thought that," says Simon Berger. He won his first tennis tournament at the weekend. Until a few weeks ago, the 24-year-old was playing a completely different sport: he was a professional ice hockey player for HC Pustertal.

Simon Berger played ice hockey in Germany and Italy, was a national player and for a long time one of the greatest talents of HC Pustertal in the ICE Hockey League – until he unexpectedly ended his career about a month agoBut the man from Pfalz has remained true to the sport, just on a different surface and with new tools.


“Until I was 12 or 13 years old, I played a lot of tennis. But then I decided to play ice hockey,” Berger told SportNewsNow he is going the other way. In the spring he took part in the team championship with his home club, SSV Pfalzen. "I said to myself: why don't you try a tournament?" No sooner said than done! Berger registered for a category 4 competition, the "Raika Summer Tournament" in St. Georgen. And he won the tournament straight away!


Even Patrizio Morini is left behind

A total of 73 players competed on the attractive course on the Rienz, and seven of them failed to beat the former HCP star. This was also the case with Patrizio Morini. The football coach of SSV Brixen and long-time sports teacher is considered one of the most shrewd tennis veterans in South Tyrol, but he too had to give way to the newcomer.

On Saturday, Berger finally faced Beat Hellweger in the grand final. The Brixner, who had also previously had a surprising run of success, had no chance in Berger's 6:2, 6:3 win. "I hadn't thought about winning the tournament, but it went surprisingly well - and that was the case in every game," said the final champion, who is ranked relatively low in the tennis association's individual rankings at 4.4. Curiously, Berger's last tournament appearance was years ago.

The finalists at the tournament in St. Georgen: Simon Berger and Beat Hellweger (r.). © ASC St. Georgen Tennis


When asked if he now wants to pursue a career in tennis, Berger replies with a smile: "It's probably a bit too late for that. I just want to have fun with friends, do sports and compete a little with others." Berger particularly enjoys the thrill of decisive points. "You have to be fully focused. You're alone on the court, fighting with your concentration and your own ability. That's perhaps the big difference to ice hockey, where you do everything as a team."
“In tennis you have to be fully focused.” Simon Berger

Berger has completely finished with the fastest team sport in the world. "That's over, but I'll definitely visit my friends at the HCP in the stadium at some point." Until then, Berger will still be on the tennis court quite often, even "if this was my last tournament for the time being." The limited free time does not allow for further successful runs like this for the time being.

Simon Berger played a total of 323 games for HC Pustertal.


With his triumph, Berger has proven that he is an ace not only on the ice, but also on the tennis court. His seamless transition from the puck to the felt ball is impressive and shows that talent and ambition prevail. One thing is certain: Simon Berger is a name to remember on the domestic tennis stage.

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