class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc”>
Stefanie Vogele (33) is standing in the tennis hall in Leuggern AG. She is holding her first tennis racket in her hands. “It’s unbelievable how small the handle is,” she says, smiling. In the meantime, she was among the 50 best tennis players in the world and also took part in the Australia Opens, which are currently taking place. A stroke of fate changed her life forever.
Mrs. Vögele, what is life like as a millionaire?
Stefanie Voegele: This conversation is off to a good start (laughs). Unfortunately I don’t know. How did you come up with this question?
You have won approximately R3 million in prize money during your career.
WHERE. But: not all the money came to me! I had to pay taxes on 20 to 30 percent of the prize money in the country where the tournament took place. There were also costs for travel expenses and technical staff. And something else. I earned my first prize money as a 14-year-old. Last year I ended my career at the age of 32. The income was spread over almost two decades. As amazing as the three million looks are, the truth is that I struggled to survive financially every year.
An enormous amount of pressure.
Absolute. I was, as it were, the boss of an SME with a maximum of five employees. To pay for everything, I had to earn about 200,000 francs a year. The worst part was that at the beginning of the year I never knew how much money I would make. This constant uncertainty about whether and how things will continue also influenced me on the field when I was young.
How?
It sometimes occurred to me before a match that if I lost, I wouldn’t be able to pay my coach for much longer. After that I became tense and nothing worked anymore.
Was the financial struggle the biggest challenge during your tennis career?
No. What bothered me most was the lack of time to recover properly. I played 25 to 30 tournaments a year. Sometimes you fly around the world for weeks. Every point was crucial to get or stay in the top 100 of the world rankings. Then you are immediately qualified for the Grand Slam tournaments. If you lose in the first round, you will still receive thousands of francs.
What did you do on your days off?
I used them for training that was neglected in the rhythm of the tournament. It was hard for me to really get my mind off of it. My thoughts always revolved around tennis.
Sounds unhealthy.
That was partly it. I rarely lived in the moment. Especially during short holidays. Then you lie on the beach and start studying again during the next training block. This all takes energy. On the other hand, these episodes show how much I love this sport.
At the age of thirteen you moved from Leuggern to the performance center in Biel.How do you remember this time?
It was amazing! I trained with 12 to 15 young people. We went to school together and all lived in the same house. In the evening a woman cooked for us. She always checked if we were in bed on time.
What happened after the inspection?
Then we fell asleep.
I do not believe you.
(Laughs.) Well, sometimes we sneak up to the boys on the first floor. But I rarely went along.
Are there friendships in an individual sport like tennis?
Yes, but only very little. Everyone searches for themselves. As a tennis player you have to be selfish.
Is there cheating?
Certainly! Especially at smaller tournaments. There are often few training places. To ensure that everyone can train, every player must register for a certain period. It is not unusual for certain competitors to have come up with names and enter them. As a result, they blocked the training rooms and were able to train longer.
How did you react when you found out?
I was really angry. A few times I confronted the athletes on the training field about their matches. Then I could get loud. Usually they packed their bags and left. There was once an incident during a break in a match.
What happened?
My opponent deliberately bumped into me. No idea what their mission was. These are mind games you have to endure. At first, things like this caused me problems. At some point I learned to deal with it.
Yet you miss a tournament victory at the highest level. Why?
My father was diagnosed with cancer in 2013. At that point I was in the shape of my life and reached the third round of the French Open. After the diagnosis I felt bad. I cried, afraid of his death. Playing tennis became an afterthought. Also because his condition deteriorated rapidly. He died in 2014. That was the worst day of my life. When I played in Switzerland for the first time after the death, I cried. Normally he was always there. Suddenly his seat in the stands is empty.
They continued to play tennis during this time. Wouldn’t a break have made sense?
Maybe. But I decided not to, I needed the points to stay in the top 100. Unfortunately I didn’t succeed. Sentimentality has no place in professional sports. Business is tough. Those who don’t work are thrown away. At least tennis gave me a chance to distract myself.
How present is your father today?
I think about him often. I now think back fondly on our time together. He used to drive me to tournaments in Switzerland. A funny story comes to mind. We both loved the little Dextro Energy tablets. I always took a pack with me before the match. Because we couldn’t resist, we emptied the backpack on the way to the tournament.
You also had time to consume media while traveling. Have you read the newspaper reports about yourself?
Yes, a big part. Even the ones that are in sight, even if they hurt sometimes (laughs).
Which headline do you particularly remember?
“Stefanie Vogele has to pack her bags again” – unfortunately I saw her far too often. I then decided not to read anything anymore. Failed. You still want to know what people write about you.
There was no romantic relationship between you and a tennis player. Have my professional colleagues done poor research?
No! (Laughs.) I had imagined my love life on tour to be more spectacular. Maybe it was just me, but somehow nothing ever happened.
She has now found her dream man. At the beginning of this year, the two became parents for the first time. Her daughter’s name is Nala.
Let’s go back to the finances: what other sources of income were there besides tennis?
Private sponsors gave me some breathing space. But there would also have been other options.
Which?
I once received an offer from the gambling mafia.
I’m sorry, what?
I was surprised too. Early in my career, someone contacted me on Facebook. He offered me money if I would fix the match. I can’t remember the exact instructions. Naturally, I did not respond to the request and deleted the chat.
Manipulation is still a major problem in tennis today. Why?
Because it is difficult to prove whether someone specifically played a ball into the net or not. Cheating is much easier than, for example, in football. I know how tiring the battle outside the top 100 is. When someone offers you a few thousand francs for a few double faults, many people start to think. But something’s bothering me.
What?
Anyone proven to have committed gambling fraud will be banned for life. Those who dope may return after a few years. Why is there a difference here? As far as I’m concerned, even a doping offender should be banned for life!
You have now resigned. How is your six-pack?
That’s history. It is now one package (laughs). I’m having a little trouble with that. Everything is no longer as tight as it was when I was active. I also have to be careful when I eat or I will gain even more weight. To prevent this, I now regularly give tennis lessons.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
