Career
Unfortunately, he entered the tennis scene after the German Democratic Republic had decided to promote only those sports which were relevant for the Olympics’ medals table. Thus, he was barred from international competitions outside the Eastern bloc countries and had to keep the status as an amateur. However, he gained some points at an Association of Tennis Professionals tournament in Sofia as German Democratic Republic functionaries had not noticed that it had become part of the Association of Tennis Professionals tour.
After this tournament, the Association of Tennis Professionals ranked him number 482—the only entry of a German Democratic Republic tennis player in the Association of Tennis Professionals rankings.
Martina Navratilova claimed that he could have become a top-ten player in the 1970s. In addition, he gained many national titles after 1990 in senior competitions.