Dominik Koepfer

Dominik Koepfer: A Roundabout Route to Pro Tennis

Like Benjamin Becker and Yannick Hanfmann before him, Dominik Koepfer took a detour on his way into professional tennis — via college studies in the USA. The young player from Baden actually didn't intend to turn pro at first, and only decided to pursue a professional career after his exceptionally strong results on the Challenger Tour.

Dominik Koepfer was born on April 29, 1994, in Furtwangen. Today he lives in Tampa, Florida. Both his parents are big tennis fans and introduced him to the sport. That said, his training as a child stayed fairly limited — until he was 15, he only stepped onto a tennis court twice a week. So he never felt any pressure to pursue a career as a tennis pro.

As a child and teenager, Dominik Koepfer played team tennis for twelve years at Tennisclub BW Villingen. For a long time, tennis was just one hobby among many for Dominik. That changed after he surprisingly became German U16 runner-up in 2010. Dominik Koepfer's favorite subject at school was math. He's a graduate of the Otto-Hahn-Gymnasium in Furtwangen, speaks German and English, and played successful college tennis at Tulane University in New Orleans from 2013 to 2016.

Jigsaw Puzzles as an Unusual Training Method

After finishing school, Dominik Koepfer went to Tulane University in New Orleans to study while continuing to develop his tennis alongside his studies. Early in his college days, according to college coach Booras, Dominik Koepfer was still a real hothead on the tennis court. To calm him down, the coach prescribed a 10,000-piece jigsaw puzzle before training sessions, using this unusual method to help him find more balance.

Four years later, Dominik earned his bachelor's degree in economics, became an NCAA singles champion, and climbed to No. 1 in the college rankings during that time. After these successes, he felt ready to make the leap into the pro tennis scene.

Dominik Koepfer Is a Feisty “Pitbull” on Court

Dominik Koepfer stands 1.80 meters tall, is left-handed, and plays a two-handed backhand. On the court, he's a true fighter. He shines with hard work and the right mindset. “Fight till you drop” is his motto. It's no coincidence that his club teammates gave him the nickname “Pitbull.” His serve, once a major weakness, has since become noticeably more stable, so he can now rely on it in the tight moments of a tennis match.

A milestone in his tennis career was his first main-draw win at an ATP tournament. He beat American Tennys Sandgren in Winston-Salem. He continues to feel right at home in the USA and would like to stay there, though he does regularly see his parents at tournaments in Europe.

Milestones in Dominik Koepfer's Tennis Career

Throughout his tennis career, Dominik Koepfer has played mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour and the ITF Futures Tour. He didn't earn his first ATP ranking point until he was 21. He achieved a major success in June 2019, when he won the Challenger tournament in Ilkley, beating Dennis Novak in the final in three sets.

At the 2019 US Open, Koepfer worked his way through qualifying into the main draw, then surprisingly reached the fourth round after wins over Jaume Munar, Reilly Opelka, and Nikoloz Basilashvili, entering the world's top 100 for the first time after the tournament. In March 2020, Dominik Koepfer made his Davis Cup debut for Germany, winning the decisive rubber against Belarus in two sets.

Koepfer Feels Most at Home on Clay Courts

Dominik Koepfer's preferred surface on tour is clay. His favorite city is Melbourne. It's no surprise, then, that he especially enjoys playing at the Australian Open, even though it's not a clay-court tournament. He names former pro Tommy Haas as a major idol. Besides tennis, Dominik Koepfer also enjoys other sports, especially golf, skiing, football, and basketball. He's also a Bayern Munich fan and admires former basketball player Dirk Nowitzki. At the German restaurant in Tampa, he loves ordering his favorite dish: spätzle with schnitzel.

Buy Dominik Koepfer's Racket and Outfit Online

At Tennis-Point, you'll find a huge selection of the best products from all the leading tennis brands used by the tennis pros on the ATP Tour — from tennis rackets and tennis strings to stylish apparel and tennis shoes. In our shop, you'll find the exact same products the tennis stars prefer to use on court. Naturally, you can also buy Dominik Koepfer's racket and matching tennis strings from us. Koepfer plays on the ATP Tour with a tennis racket by HEAD.