Otto Froitzheim
Encyclopedia
Otto Froitzheim was a German
tennis
player. At the 1908 Summer Olympics
he won a silver medal in the men's singles tournament.
Froitzheim, who was born in Strasbourg
, Alsace
, German Empire
won the International German Championship
seven times (1909-1911, 1921-1922 and again in 1925). In 1912 he won the World Hard Court Championships (Clay). In 1914, he and Oskar Kreuzer were members of the German International Lawn Tennis Challenge team
, playing an International Lawn Tennis Challenge
semifinal in Pittsburgh against Australasia
. World War I
was declared in the middle of the match, but those monitoring the telegraph did not want to disrupt the match. Froitzheim and Kreuzer sailed back to Germany as soon as possible, but their boat was sank off the coast of Gibraltar
and they spent the war years as prisoners of war of the British.
In the mid-1920s he was engaged to Leni Riefenstahl
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player. At the 1908 Summer Olympics
1908 Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...
he won a silver medal in the men's singles tournament.
Froitzheim, who was born in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
won the International German Championship
Hamburg Masters
The German Open Hamburg, established in 1892, is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Hamburg, Germany and part of the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. Originally a Grand Prix Tennis Tour event between 1978 and 1989 it was part of the Grand Prix Championship...
seven times (1909-1911, 1921-1922 and again in 1925). In 1912 he won the World Hard Court Championships (Clay). In 1914, he and Oskar Kreuzer were members of the German International Lawn Tennis Challenge team
Germany Davis Cup team
The Germany Davis Cup team represents Germany in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Deutscher Tennis Bund. As East Germany never participated in the Davis Cup and the Deutscher Tennisbund remained the same organization throughout the century the West German Davis Cup team is...
, playing an International Lawn Tennis Challenge
1914 International Lawn Tennis Challenge
The 1914 International Lawn Tennis Challenge was the 13th edition of what is now known as the Davis Cup. The bulk of the competition returned to the United States for the first time since 1903. The United States fell to Australasia in the final, which was played at the West Side Tennis Club in New...
semifinal in Pittsburgh against Australasia
Australia Davis Cup team
The Australian Davis Cup team is the second most successful team ever to compete in the Davis Cup, winning the coveted title on 23 separate occasions, second behind the United States with 32....
. World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
was declared in the middle of the match, but those monitoring the telegraph did not want to disrupt the match. Froitzheim and Kreuzer sailed back to Germany as soon as possible, but their boat was sank off the coast of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
and they spent the war years as prisoners of war of the British.
In the mid-1920s he was engaged to Leni Riefenstahl
Leni Riefenstahl
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl was a German film director, actress and dancer widely noted for her aesthetics and innovations as a filmmaker. Her most famous film was Triumph des Willens , a propaganda film made at the 1934 Nuremberg congress of the Nazi Party...
.