The founders of the Boris Becker International Tennis Academy (BBITA) in Hochheim am Main (Germany), Khaled Ezzedine and business partner Daniel Köhler, stand firmly by their namesake Boris Becker, even after the latest developments. The German ex-tennis pro was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in London at the end of April for various bankruptcy offenses.
“Boris Becker’s services to German tennis are unique. He certainly made some wrong decisions in his life, but lending his name to our academy is not one of them. We stand firmly by his side, as does the German Tennis Federation, by the way,” Ezzedine said.
Meanwhile, the construction of the academy is progressing. The first seven outdoor courts, five hard and two clay, will be completed shortly. The Academy team has developed and patented its own surface, ACE Court by KD Tennis, for the hard courts. It is used exclusively by the BBITA and is also to be marketed to other clubs in the future. After constructing the outdoor courts, the subsequent building phases will follow, among others, the construction of the main building, which will contain a boarding house, the Dr. Obermayr School, offices, a Tennis Point ProShop and restaurants. In addition to the boarding school, a Dorint 4-star superior hotel with 110 rooms and additional residential units for parents will also be built on the site. BBITA itself will employ a total of around 65 staff to look after the management and administration of the academy.
