Those who follow our social media channels may already know: TennisTraveller owner Susanne is embarking on a journey herself, and not to one of the many beautiful TennisTraveller hotels, but on the Road to Manavgat , a tennis trip back to the competitive stage. And this after a 20-year hiatus from tournament tennis. The older, the bolder, one might say. I would rather say: even at over 50, there are still sporting challenges to be had! The first major challenge is coming up at the end of March in Manavgat, Turkey. The 23rd International Wilson Masters Open take place at the Ali Bey Club Manavgat, for which I registered at the end of last year. At the MT1000 ITF Seniors tournament, I will be competing in the Women's Singles W50 and the Mixed Doubles. But of course, the tournament isn't the only challenge awaiting me. After such a long break from tournaments and training, there are challenges almost every day, both on and off the tennis court, some small, some bigger. Over the coming weeks, I'd like to take you along on my very personal Road to Manavgat. I'll share everything that occupies my mind, what I enjoy, and yes, even what frustrates me. Because I'm sure some of you are curious why someone in their early fifties would want to get back into competitive tennis so seriously. That's what I want to talk about first. Let the journey begin!
Tennis has always played a major role in my life. I got my first tennis racket at six, went straight to the court, and from then on, my love for tennis was born. My tennis career then developed quite classically: from a small club to a larger one with more training, then district and Württemberg Tennis Association (WTB) teams. Tournament tennis was a regular part of my schedule for many years, alongside league matches, of course. As a junior and later as a woman, I was always among the top players in Württemberg, but I never quite made it to the top. In my mid-twenties, after finishing my studies and moving house, I took my first longer break from tennis. I never completely gave up on the sport, but league matches and tournaments were off-limits until my 30th birthday.
At 30, things really took off again in the Southwest Regional League. A great team, wonderful trips to league matches – yes, it was a really cool, albeit far too short, time. Then my twin boys were born. On top of that, we moved house and the women's over-30 team broke up. For the next few years, priorities shifted. For two years, mountain biking and running shoes replaced tennis. I picked up the racket more often when my eldest daughter started playing tennis – the twin boys followed suit, and so I not only coached the kids at the club, but also my own. And I did this for many years, quite intensively, with everything that entails: "Tennis taxi" Mom was on the road countless times a week for training and on weekends and holidays for tournaments, sometimes even abroad.
To be honest, I lacked the time, the inclination, and the right team to play on my own. But for the past few years, I've noticed a growing desire to play on a team again and even participate in tournaments. How often did I hear, "You still play so well—why don't you play on a team more? It's such a waste!" But somehow, I always had an excuse; something else was more important, and yes, time was always tight.
Now that all three children are grown and no longer need a constant tennis taxi, things have changed quite a bit. Especially since the kids are mostly no longer my tennis partners, as they no longer live at home. Just playing aimlessly without fixed tennis times and without a goal? That probably wouldn't work.
So, what started as a half-baked idea at the end of last year became a firm resolution: I'm going to make my comeback. And to make that resolution a reality, I've registered for the 23rd International Wilson Masters Open at the Ali Bey Club in Manavgat in March. I'll be competing in the Women's 50+ singles and also in the mixed doubles.
You probably know this feeling all too well: without a concrete goal in mind, there are many excuses to start with things that may be tedious at first, but are really good for you.
The idea of registering for a tournament abroad actually arose from a conversation with my cooperation partner , Patricio Travel – thanks, Kerstin! I have a long-standing relationship with Patricio, and that's how the idea for "Road to Manavgat" came about. It's a short blog series where I'll be writing about my journey back into the world of senior tournaments. I'll cover personal topics, the senior tournament scene in general, and much more. And of course, I'll be reporting extensively from Manavgat before and during my tournament week. I'll be covering the tournament itself, my matches, the many side events, the Ali Bey Club, and, of course, the whole atmosphere, which is supposed to be truly fantastic!
First, since November, I've found myself regular training partners on fixed training days . So now I play three times a week with either a men's 50+ player (Basti – keep on rolling!), a former teammate and current number two in the women's 50+ category in Germany (Isa – you're really getting on my nerves!), and my daughter Mia, who's now a coach herself and has already given me some incredibly valuable tips. The main focus of training is match practice. Until last December, I hadn't played two sets in a row for 20 years. Two sets, and even a match tiebreak? A completely new experience – but I still knew how it was done! Week by week, I'm noticing an increasing sense of ease in what I'm doing on the court. That ease was completely lacking at the beginning, especially when it came to competitive matches. Normal, right? I think so... But I really did often ask myself why I was making shots that didn't make any sense at the time. At least the frequency of these "sense questions" has decreased somewhat!
In terms of fitness, I'm basically doing the same as usual: 1-2 endurance training sessions per week in the form of jogging or cycling, plus 2-3 Pilates or yoga sessions per week for general flexibility and strength. I'll stick with this for now and only adjust it if my body needs something different, for example, if something is aching or bothering me. Like my shoulder right now, which is a bit "overused." Then I'll just play less tennis and do a lot of stretching, massage, and lotioning instead... Oh, and I also want to improve my diet a bit, and I'll write about that in a separate blog post.
I ended my active tennis career before the LK system was introduced in Germany, meaning I didn't have an LK rating. However, I need one to register for my team for the 2026 summer season and to participate in tournaments. I've now applied for one through my club with the relevant state tennis association. The actual rating depends on the recommendation of the sports director, my tennis history, and the assessments and recommendations of my teammates. And so, I've been assigned an LK of 5. We'll see if that's a reasonably accurate rating.
A first tournament is planned for January. Of course, we'll report on it. Generally speaking, the "tournament jungle" for seniors isn't all that different from that for juniors and adults, at least as far as tournament categories are concerned. Nevertheless, in my next blog post, I'll tell you about the general differences between LK tournaments, ranking tournaments, and ITF tournaments in the senior category.
I'm really looking forward to the rest of my journey, one step at a time.
Let me know what you're particularly interested in, or share your experiences with me. Perhaps you've embarked on a similar journey and have valuable tips to share? If so, please send them my way! Feel free to email me at
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