Of course Philip Kohlschreiber is old, at least counted in his professional tennis years, he knows it himself, but he also knows: he’s still in a good mood. It stimulates anyway. What others also noticed, Kohlschreiber mentioned, at the press conference in Melbourne. “The man who brought me here accompanied me after my first big win over Andy Roddick of the evening,” he said amusedly.

The guy was just going to laugh and say to Kohlschreiber, “You’re awesome! Like day one! Get out a minute early. Not a Swiss watch, but a German watch.” Kohlschreiber was still smiling. “Sometimes I say: You’ve been there for so long that you can’t be imagined without it.” Absolutely correct result. The question has long been asked: is this really allowed in German tennis – a season without Kohlschreiber?

This amazing professional career began in 2001, not in Glashütte, the local center of German watchmaking, but at the base of tennis in Munich, where a wired young man from Augsburg dreamed of life as a professional tennis player. Now Philippe Eberhard Hermann Kohlschreiber still does gymnastics on the tour, although he said, “I’m less in attendance at tournaments.” But it is there! at 38

The side hair is a little gray, but he still looks shy. He is in good condition. As he proved this Tuesday, on Court 14, in the first round. in a typical Kohlschreiber manner. Keeping the opponent going through corner shots – this is how he defeated the Italian Marco Cecchinato, who also plays a kind of Kohlschreiber tennis, but this time the original was better at 6:4, 7:5, 7:6 (0).

Roger Federer has always enjoyed training with him

Germany is waking up, and somewhere in the world, Kohlschreiber played a match that seemed as natural as the news of sunrise. but that is not all. Two or three days ago, he was asked how many Grand Slams he is running now. “Then I went through it a little bit. I know New York, it was 19 times of the main draw. Here I pulled out once or twice. I think that was my 15th time here. I gave an estimate, like 60, 70, yeah, I played 70 major tournaments.” When someone shouted at him in the press room: “68,” he responded with astonishment: “68 Ah!” Yes, a massive number.

Kohlschreiber did not achieve the glamorous success that made Germany so happy, and he did not win any of the Big Four in Melbourne, Paris, Wimbledon, and New York. With Boris Becker, you only knew who he was referring to when you heard the word “Leimener”. Kohlschreiber is “Kohli”. He was in the quarter-finals once, at the All England Club in 2012, and it was his best result. In 2012 he was 16th in the world rankings and always in the top 50 anyway. But if you look at his prize money, which Kohlschreiber is sure to love, you’ll find: US$13.5 million. This tells us a lot.

In the region behind world leaders, Kohlschreiber has been a truly world leader, thanks to his meticulous discipline, ambition and reliability. He can also go to the dreary gym alone for hours. He won eight ATP Championships, three times his favorite event at home in Munich. Roger Federer has always been very happy to train with him.

While some German talent is lamenting, changing coaches and disappearing again, Kohlschreiber has always shown how it is. Now too. He knew it as the world number 134. He had a chance of moving into the main draw for the Australian Open if he eliminated a few opponents. I have already booked the flight. And they trained conscientiously with coach Marcus Hepfel. Kohlschreiber said he had “short but good and intense preparations”. “I was already playing tennis incredibly after a week. I thought I needed more time. Because I haven’t had a racket in my hand since Indian Wells.”

So since mid-October 2021. He would do everything over Christmas to have many partners, play many points, and simulate emergencies. When the good news came, he was “relieved” – he only traveled to Melbourne this past weekend. And now he’s having the problem he’s had for years: He’s realizing once again that it’s all too good to stop. However, for the first time he said more specifically that it might be over soon. Maybe in the summer.

“Okay, I can play Hamburg again to say goodbye. Or whatever.”

His original plan was to start the season in Doha. He no longer wanted to spend the final phase of his career wandering around in mask at indoor tournaments. He wants to get out in the air. That’s why he said: “It’s relatively easy. I want to play the tournaments this year which I feel like doing. Maybe I’ll get some help in the German championships.”

He hopes to get the wildcards if he does not enter the main draws in Munich, Stuttgart, Halle and Hamburg. “I can plan relatively well until Wimbledon with my standings. I would probably play with Indian Wells and Miami after Dubai. I would like to compete in Munich, and then play in the qualifiers for Paris, Stuttgart, Halle and Wimbledon for the tournament schedule.” If he plays well, “I will continue”.

And if not? “If I don’t really get any results and no longer have a rating, maybe at some point I will say: OK, I can play Hamburg again to say goodbye. Or whatever.” Under no circumstances will he “take part in any tournament in Asia, where I don’t feel like it”. His goal will be to be in the top 100 in the world rankings. He wants to do it in 12 or 13 tournaments a year: “I move well, I still play very good tennis.”

Germany’s farewell probably won’t shake right away. There was quite a bit of trouble with him on the German Davis Cup team, so some people weren’t really warm with him. But he changed. He has long become an important conversation partner, in Australia he loved to talk about his legendary win in 2008 when he defeated world number one Roddick 8:6 in the fifth set in Melbourne. He also played against Rafael Nadal here, in 2010 winning a set against the now 20-time Grand Slam winner.

Kohlschreiber said that now, in the second round, he also meets Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut who is a professional like Nadal. “Hopefully this will be a good and intense match.” He is well prepared, this is the bare minimum for him. Even at the age of 38.