Schüttler Waske Tennis-University

A pro-built academy that still feels personal

Schüttler Waske Tennis-University opened in 2010 when Davis Cup teammates Alexander Waske and Rainer Schüttler pooled two decades of tour experience into a single idea: build a place where developing players train beside professionals, with standards high enough for the ATP and WTA yet personal enough to shape a teenager on and off the court. Over time the daily leadership concentrated around Waske, and most families simply say Tennis-University. The spirit of the original name remains. It signals ambition and accountability. The day-to-day routine is where that promise is kept.

What makes the academy distinctive is not a glossy campus or a celebrity cameo. It is the stripped down mix of small training ratios, clearly measured progress, and coaches who do not disappear after the first photo. The intent is simple. Train like a pro as early as you can absorb it, avoid distractions, and keep the player at the center of every decision.

The setting: Offenbach am Main, on Frankfurt’s doorstep

The academy operates in Offenbach am Main, part of the greater Frankfurt region in Hesse. For tennis families the geography matters more than a dot on the map. Frankfurt Airport is about a 20 to 25 minute drive in normal traffic, which compresses travel time for European and international tournaments. That alone makes two-week training blocks practical. Players can leave on Wednesday, compete Thursday through weekend, and be back on court with their coaches Monday morning without long transfers eating into the week.

The climate shapes the calendar. Summers are warm enough to live on outdoor clay. Winters are cold enough to demand indoor hard courts. Instead of treating the seasons as disruptions, the academy builds training blocks around both surfaces so juniors develop patience and depth on clay while learning to translate those patterns to first-strike tennis on hard courts. That two-surface rhythm is deliberate. It mirrors the reality of junior and pro calendars where success is rarely confined to one surface.

The Offenbach area also helps with practical life. Families can secure short- or long-stay apartments near training, there are walkable food options, and the region’s transport network simplifies commutes for school or language lessons. It is not a resort location. It is a sensible training base where tennis comes first.

Facilities: a functional footprint that covers the essentials

The academy’s footprint shifts with the seasons. In summer, squads work at TC Waldschwimmbad in Offenbach, a club with multiple outdoor clay courts and two covered clay courts. There is a dedicated fitness space and room for live-ball drills without players bumping into other programs. When temperatures drop the base moves to the Hilton Frankfurt Gravenbruch site with two indoor Rebound Ace hard courts and access to a full fitness studio.

Courts and surfaces

Clay dominates the summer. Coaches use it to slow the game down just enough to teach spacing, contact height, and depth patterns that stand up under pressure. When winter arrives, Rebound Ace hard courts bring speed and demand cleaner first-strike execution. The consistency of this schedule matters. Players do not guess where they will train or which surface will be available on a given day.

Strength, conditioning, and recovery

Beyond courts, support systems are in place. On-site fitness work is scheduled like tennis, not squeezed in at the end of a long day. Coaches coordinate weekly cycles so strength exposures and speed sessions complement the on-court load. Physiotherapy is available for screening, prevention, and return-to-play protocols. Mental skills training is offered as an add-on and runs in parallel with tennis, not as a separate lecture. Video is used with intent. Rather than filming everything, coaches run focused debriefs around the week’s technical theme so players look at a few decisive clips and walk away with one or two clear actions.

Boarding and logistics

Boarding is practical rather than luxurious. The academy lists a simple athlete room block during parts of the year, cooperations with nearby hotels, and help arranging apartments for longer stays. During junior camps, overnight options are available on request for players aged 12 and older. Lunch is provided during camps, with plenty of local options for the rest of the day. The point is not to impress with amenities. It is to reduce friction so young athletes can keep a consistent routine.

Coaching staff and philosophy

Alexander Waske is not a name on stationery. He is a visible founder-coach who sets the court tone: intensity, clarity, and repetition at match speed. The full-time staff includes tennis coaches with national team and tour backgrounds, supported by dedicated fitness professionals. Families will see the same core faces over months, which helps the team track technical changes, movement qualities, and loading responses through a full season rather than a single week.

Philosophically, the academy is strict on density and detail. Maximum three players per coach on court is the norm for development squads, with pro training blocks often tighter still. That ratio is the single biggest lever for individualization. Technical work prioritizes compact stroke shapes, efficient spacing, and stable contact before cosmetic changes. Tactically, patterns are embedded early. For example, juniors learn crosscourt first-ball control into line changes on advantage, plus clear serve plus one templates from both sides. Footwork is treated as a daily skill, not a once-a-week line drill. Feedback is immediate and specific so players can recalibrate within the same session.

Programs: how the pathway fits together

The pathway is built for continuity. Players can start in camps, graduate to a weekly structure, step into the year-round Youth Development Program, and later transition to the ITF track without changing coaching language.

• Youth Development Program year-round. A selective 12-player cohort aged roughly 13 to 18 trains two sessions a day, four days per week. The package includes tennis, strength and conditioning, tournament planning, and coach travel support for selected events. Mentoring extends off court with guidance on schooling through online education partners for players navigating international schedules.

• ITF and young pro track. For athletes targeting international juniors, ITF World Tennis Tour, and early Challenger events, training volume increases and week plans become bespoke. Block periods are built around competition windows, with fitness tapering and specific patterning for the next surface.

• Junior Camps. Easter, summer, and autumn camps run in weekly blocks for ages 8 to 18. The session architecture mirrors the pro model scaled by age. High Performance weeks tighten group ratios further. Typical days include a structured warm up, two and a half hours of tennis, and one hour of strength and movement skills.

• Adult programs. Tennis Xpress serves true beginners in a week format. Tennis Kompakt is a five-day block for experienced club players. Both run in small groups at set times after work. Players can layer private sessions and weekend packages with clear pricing and optional video analysis.

The common thread is language. Whether a nine-year-old in camp or a nineteen-year-old chasing ITF points, players hear the same cues and practice the same building blocks at a level that suits their stage.

The player development model

Development is organized around five pillars: technical, tactical, physical, mental, and educational. Each pillar is measurable.

Technical

Coaches standardize contact height and spacing before they worry about backswing size. Constraints drills show up daily. Players learn to create space under fatigue rather than hit pretty balls when fresh. Serve development follows three progressions in order: predictable locations, second-serve spin quality, and only then raw speed once reliability is banked. Video checkpoints appear after measurable targets are reached, such as a first-serve percentage threshold in a controlled drill or a rally-ball depth metric.

Tactical

Pattern training is deliberate and repeated until it holds under stress. On clay the focus is depth and heavy crosscourt before a change of direction. On hard courts the emphasis tilts to first-strike patterns and return depth off the first ball. Instead of carrying a long list of plays, each player rehearses three to four personalized patterns for common match situations and then refines those patterns with scouting for the next event.

Physical

The fitness staff plans four weekly exposures in typical training weeks, usually two strength sessions and two speed or movement sessions. The content flexes around the competition schedule. Micro-adjustments trim volume and shift emphases during tournament weeks. Screening identifies asymmetries and informs exercise swaps. Conditioning often lives inside live-ball games so effort transfers to point play and not just the test sheet.

Mental

Mental training is offered as an integrated add-on. Players learn routines between points, attention resets, and pre-serve breathing. Competitive games end with a short self-report, which teaches athletes to process pressure moments without spiraling into storylines. Match plans are actionable rather than motivational. Instead of play aggressive serving as a slogan, a plan might read target body first serve at 30 all until the backhand return floats short.

Educational

For athletes who travel, the academy cooperates with established online schools so academics keep pace with competition. Staff help families plan exam windows, tutoring support, and light travel blocks. The goal is not to choose tennis over school or school over tennis, but to preserve both options by planning earlier and more precisely than most families attempt alone.

Alumni and visible outcomes

Over the years, the academy has been a base or block-training venue for players such as Angelique Kerber, Andrea Petkovic, Jule Niemeier, Philipp Petzschner, Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, Ricardas Berankis, and Jürgen Melzer, among others. On the junior side, trained players have captured Grade A titles, Junior Grand Slam trophies, or reached number one in international junior rankings at various points. The names matter, but the throughline matters more. The academy is a place where fundamentals are tidied, patterns are made repeatable, and match habits are stressed until they hold.

Culture and daily life

Culture is built into the schedule. Younger players often warm up with older peers, which sets pace standards without copying pro loads. Coaches keep communication direct and unambiguous. Parents receive clear outlines of goals, tournament choices, and what will be measured in the next training block. Regular team events and match-play days teach athletes to compete in front of others and to support teammates. It is serious without being theatrical. Athletes learn to bring intensity every day, not only when the camera is on.

Housing is functional by design. For longer stays, families can secure apartments near training. Shorter stays lean on partner hotels. During camps, overnight options are arranged on request for eligible ages. Lunch is organized during junior camp weeks. For dinner and weekends there are straightforward local options within a short walk or drive. The routine is predictable, which helps young players focus on recovery and preparation instead of logistics.

Costs, access, and how to trial it

Weekly junior camps are a transparent entry point, with fees that vary by group ratio and specific weeks. High Performance summer weeks are priced higher due to tighter groups. Easter and autumn camps typically sit at a single weekly price point. Adult week formats and private sessions have published rates and discounts for multi-lesson packs, with separate court fees in some cases. The year-round Youth Development Program and the ITF track are selective and priced on request. While the academy does not market broad scholarships, families can manage total cost by choosing simpler housing and by planning travel in longer blocks. For students enrolled with online education partners, tuition discounts can apply through specific arrangements.

If you are unsure whether the culture fits, the academy encourages trial weeks. A player can drop into a camp or a standard training week and experience the ratios, the feedback style, and the daily pace before committing to a longer stay.

What sets it apart

• Small, enforced training ratios. Three players per coach in development squads is not a brochure line. It is the daily operating rule and the engine of individualization.
• Two-surface continuity. Summer clay at TC Waldschwimmbad and winter Rebound Ace hard courts at Hilton Frankfurt Gravenbruch provide rhythm. Pattern transfer is trained, not assumed.
• Founder on court. Alexander Waske still coaches. That continuity gives the program an identity and keeps standards from drifting.
• Integrated support. Fitness, physio access, and mental skills are planned into the week, with clear add-ons for families who want more depth.
• Tournament planning with accountability. Coaches agree on target events early, then build training weeks backward from the calendar. Match stats feed directly into the next block’s technical and tactical themes.

How it compares and who it suits

For families exploring Germany specifically, the large-campus alternative with extensive boarding and a broader school ecosystem is the Boris Becker International Tennis Academy. That model suits players who want a comprehensive on-site environment with more classmates and a bigger residential community. By contrast, Tennis-University leans into smaller ratios and a leaner footprint that many athletes find more focused.

Players drawn to high-intensity Scandinavian structures might compare the approach to the Good to Great Tennis Academy, where relentless live-ball standards are a hallmark. Those who prefer a Spanish clay tradition with larger squads and an academy campus feel may look at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar as a contrast in style and scale. Tennis-University sits in the middle. It offers European clay discipline in summer and hard-court specificity in winter while keeping groups tight and communication direct.

Who thrives here. Juniors who like honest feedback, can handle repetition at pace, and value clarity over showmanship usually settle quickly. Families who want measurable progress and a coach who says the same thing on Monday that he said on Friday tend to appreciate the consistency. If a player needs constant novelty, or if you want a resort atmosphere with lots of non-tennis entertainment, this will feel too focused. If you are chasing durable habits that survive the fourth game at 4 all, it is a match.

Future outlook and vision

The academy has added international partnerships, including in India, to replicate its training templates and to create warm-weather options. In Offenbach, the plan is evolution rather than reinvention. Expect tighter monitoring, sharper individual plans, and more deliberate use of video and match data in the junior pathway. The staff will continue to double down on small groups, measurable outcomes, and clear communication with families.

Bottom line

Schüttler Waske Tennis-University is a serious training environment built by serious professionals. It does not chase flash. It does not inflate ratios. Instead, it gives juniors and young pros a stable base with two surfaces, consistent coaching voices, and a daily rhythm that looks and feels like the job they aspire to do. If you want pro-level structure without the feeling of a factory, and you prefer precise feedback over big-campus spectacle, Offenbach is an excellent place to build a game that holds up in real matches.