Hampton off to Germany

Press, 29 March 1980, Page 60

Hampton off to Germany

By

JOHN BROOKS

A leading Canterbury tennis player is to participate in the German interclub competitions in the coming northern summer. The 22-year-old Peter Hampton will leave Christchurch on April 10 to join up with a southern German club bearing the jaw-break-ing name of Heidenhein-an-der-Brenz. It lies in the tennis stronghold between Stuttgart and Munich. Hampton will be in a sixman team which will take part in six or eight interclub fixtures, probably in the third or fourth divisions.

He does not qualify for the first or second divisions because he has not had two years of competition in Germany.

But the man who captained Canterbury to a rare Wilding Shield success last season and then caused controversy by asking to be ipaid for appearing this summer is no stranger to the clay courts of Continental tennis. This will be his fifth pilgrimage to Europe and he feels that it might be his big year.

“I plan to play in tournaments in between my club commitments, starting with

the Belgian satellite circuit on April 19,” he said. “I won the doubles there last year, and it will offer a good chance to chase some A.T.P. points.” Other possible engagements for him include the French Open, Wimbledon, and some of the lead-up tournaments to this classic contest. But at this stage his intention is to "play it as it goes,” because he is not aware of the inter-club dates.

Drawing on his pat experiences, Hampton does not anticipate much difficulty in adjusting his game to the

clay surfaces after playing on grass in New Zealand. He feels, rightly, that he is more of a hardcourt player, as his winning of the national title in Whangarei this year revealed. His present A.T.P. doubles ranking of 228 is more than twice as good as his singles placing, and it is reasonable to expect that his biggest advance in Europe will be in doubles. In collaboration with Chris Bradnam, of England, Hampton won three titles — including the national event —■ on the recent New Zealand circuit.