What is your tennis background?
I played a little on a national level. I was twenty years old when Dominic was born. I opened a little tennis school in Vienna because this was the time when everyone played tennis in Austria. I was married and with a baby, I needed to work.
When did you realize that Dominic had special conditions for tennis?
When he was one-year old he always came with us onto the tennis court. Basically, he grew up on the tennis court and he fell in love with everything that included balls. Handball, football, basketball, and of course tennis balls. He spent hours hitting the ball against the wall, or the garage at our house. He had the incredible ability to hold his concentration at a really young age for a very long time. As he got a little bit older Dominic began practicing with a group. And after the session he immediately took a ball and played against the wall until we had to pull him away. That is when I thought that Dominic had something special for tennis.
When Dominic got older did you have to push him?
Never. Not once, even today. Everything comes from him. I think that is his talent. He has a real love for the sport of tennis. I believe that you either have it or you do not.
