Janko Tipsarevic was the first to report Dirk Hordorff’s death. On Tuesday afternoon, the former Serbian tennis pro published on his Facebook channel that “one of the most well-known personalities and greatest minds in our sport” had died. “Rest in peace,” wrote the 39-year-old, who was number eight in the world rankings in 2012. His coach back then was Hordorff.
Another companion – probably the closest that Hordorff had accompanied throughout his life – spoke out in the evening. “Unfortunately, the very sad news is true. He fell asleep peacefully after a long heart illness,” said long-time Davis Cup player Rainer Schüttler of the dpa news agency: “He was my adviser, mentor, coach and friend. I’m very much in love with him thankful.” However, the German Tennis Association (DTB) found it significantly more difficult with a reaction, it did not appear for the time being. This hesitation already shows the conflict with which the largest tennis association in the world regards its long-standing, now deceased top official.
Hordorff, 67, from Bad Homburg was one of the most influential people in German tennis, for decades he held various honorary posts, was president of the Hessian Tennis Association, owned a player and management agency, led Schüttler to fifth place in the world rankings and to the Olympics -Silver (each in 2004), had an influence on the allocation of professional tournaments, was involved in countless power struggles for top positions at the DTB. In recent years he has sat on the executive committee as DTB vice-president. Then, in March of this year, a very different kind of past caught up with him.
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Rainer Schüttler (left) and his trainer Dirk Hordorff in 2004.
(Photo: Thomas Exler/Imago)
Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and “Sportschau” reported on allegations that players formerly looked after by Hordorff had raised against him. The former tennis pros Maximilian Abel from Germany and Sriram Balaji from India accused Hordorff of sexualized harassment and abuse of power, others affected made similar statements and reported about inappropriate touching, alleged “muscle checks” that they had to endure when they were under the care of their former coach Hordorff stood. This is said to have happened from the 1980s to the 2010s.
The topic did not catch the DTB unprepared, although the association emphasized that the allegations related to incidents in which Hordoff had not held a DTB function. In the summer of 2022, the DTB, headed by President Dietloff von Arnim, commissioned a Hamburg law firm to conduct an investigation after Abel wrote to the association’s leadership. Hordorff denied all allegations and described them as “simply untrue”, but let his office rest for the time being, although he justified this resignation solely with his poor health at the time.
A good two years ago, he was only lucky to survive a health problem, as he once told the SZ. He then lost a lot of weight, his condition apparently stabilized at first, but after the allegations that became public, his lawyer said: “Due to an operation on an aneurysm that took place at the beginning of March and an upcoming operation on an aneurysm, Mr Hordorff is currently not in a position to hold the office due to health reasons .”
The DTB wants to continue the work-up even after Dirk Hordorff’s death
Despite the allegations, Hordorff initially refused to resign, but the association then urged him to do so at the end of March. As a consequence, Arnim set up an independent commission, and an external whistleblower office was also set up. The law firm commissioned by the DTB finally stated in an 86-page report that there were numerous indications that the allegations made by Abel and Balaji were correct. According to reports, the previous course of reappraisal should be continued after Hordorff’s death, even if it is clear that many questions will now remain unanswered forever. Internally one hopes for further results in the fall.
In any case, Dirk Hordorff leaves a power vacuum in German tennis, he was the activity in person. He had to bury hopes of his own tennis career after an accident at the age of 18; this was the beginning of his extraordinary career as an entrepreneur, functionary, influencer, and mastermind. He became a youth manager in the Hochtaunus-Wetterau tennis district, studied law and business administration in Frankfurt, founded a real estate company and the agency Global Sports Managements. Hordorff was smart, witty, eloquent and understood the tennis business like few, which he often took advantage of. He openly opposed opponents who supposedly stood in his way, as in 2005, when he attacked his adversary, the incumbent President Georg von Waldenfels, in the election campaign for the DTB leadership. Hordorff eventually withdrew his candidacy, but he remained steadfast even after setbacks.
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Dirk Hordorff at the DTB Congress in January. Shortly thereafter, serious allegations were made against him.
(Photo: Claudio Gärtner/tennisphoto.de/Imago)
Just as passionately, he loyally supported those who represented his course or his interests. Former teacher Ulrich Klaus became top DTB man in 2014 largely thanks to the influence of Hordorff, who certainly knew how to steer Klaus. Ultimately, it was Hordorff who opened the door to the DTB for Boris Becker again; he always knew about the radiance of the three-time Wimbledon champion. But Hordorff could also drop people who just barely had his trust without warning. Former Davis Cup captain Carsten Arriens was literally sawed off by Hordorff. The former Wimbledon champion Michael Stich, as organizer, once received the license from the DTB to be able to hold the tournament at Hamburg’s Rothenbaum – later the partnership, accompanied by allegations from Stich, broke up.
It is undisputed that Hordorff valued and loved tennis. He was able to talk extensively about matches and tournaments, with the sport-political maneuvers being the most fun for him. He never let his cards be looked at completely, and so it is tragic that he will be remembered after his death as a committed tennis strategist, but also as a man who is difficult to understand with an obviously dark side.
2023-08-02 12:58:11
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