German tennis produced some iconic names during the 1980s and 1990s, led by Boris Becker on the men’s side and Steffi Graf on the women’s. But there were others who made their mark as well—including Anke Huber, who competed from 1989 to 2001 and carved out her own successful career.
Born December 4, 1974, in Bruchsal, Germany, Huber picked up a racket at the age of seven. She quickly rose through the junior ranks before turning pro in 1989. Just a year later, she won her first title in Schenectady, New York. One of her early signature victories came in Filderstadt, Germany, where she defeated Martina Navratilova in the final.
Her breakthrough season arrived in 1996. Huber reached the Australian Open final—falling to Monica Seles—won three additional titles, and climbed to a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the world. By the time she retired in 2001 at just 26 years old, she had collected 12 singles titles and left a lasting mark on German tennis.
Living in Graf’s shadow
There’s no doubt Steffi Graf is considered one of the greatest players in tennis history. For fellow German Anke Huber, being her contemporary was anything but easy. Looking back, Huber admitted:
Steffi Graf poses with a trophy after defeating Anke Huber. (Al Bello/Allsport/Getty Images)
“I realized very early that I would never have Steffi’s success, but I was always compared to her. Sometimes it helped, because she took the spotlight off me. But on the other hand, I always felt the pressure of being the ‘second Steffi,’” she noted. On the WTA Tour, the two faced off 10 times—Graf won every match.
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Life after tennis
Since retiring, Huber has remained active in the sport. She has worked in German tennis administration, media, and most prominently as the tournament director of the WTA Stuttgart event. In 2025, she was the one to hand Jelena Ostapenko the winner’s trophy.
Anke Huber handed the trophy to Jelena Ostapenko at the WTA Stuttgart. (Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images)
In a 2020 interview with RNZ, Huber explained why she chose that role: “I deliberately stepped away from the whole tennis circus. I just didn’t want to travel so much anymore. I’m still close to the tour because of my work in Stuttgart, but now I only attend a few tournaments a year. I’m always ready to help if needed—but I have no interest in being back on tour full time”.
Her take on Federer, Nadal, and player behavior
In 2022, following Alexander Zverev’s outburst in which he smashed his racquet against a chair umpire’s stand, Huber spoke to Eurosport Germany and compared the current generation to past stars and made a controversial remark that involved Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
“I don’t think emotions are bad, but they shouldn’t be insulting and they need to stay within limits,” Huber said. “We had an era with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who always behaved like sportsmen and very fairly. But if everyone stays quiet and shows no emotion, it gets boring. From my perspective, this also has to do with the way kids are raised today. Respect has declined, but that’s a broader problem”.
