1977 -1981 ...training hard...
1977 Steffi received her first sponsorship deal from Dunlop-Slazenger. Steffi would get racquets, tennis balls and clothing, which she'd wear at tournaments and often while practicing.
1978 By this time it was becoming increasingly apparent that Steffi was a can't-miss prospect. Aware of this, Peter wanted to devote more time to help nurture his daughter's talent, and so the family decided to move to Brühl. They were lucky enough to find a newly built private estate near a tennis facility with three courts. At was also around this time that Peter left his old business to start teaching tennis to other children full-time.
1979 As an outstanding athlete, Steffi was chosen to train in the national centers in Hanover. She then started systematic training at the regional (Leimen) and national (Hanover) centers. Steffi's daily routine would start, more or less, by her practicing at home before school for an hour, then going to the Leimen facility in the afternoon to receive an additional couple of hours training from Breskvar. On top of that, she would normally practice some more at home for an hour or so in the late afternoon or early evening. Steffi would go to Hanover half-a-dozen times during the winter for what were described as occasional but intensive week-long sessions. Steffi's overall training had become well coordinated between Breskvar and her father. In fact, if Peter could not come down to Leimen, he would phone Breskvar for advice. The weekends, on the other hand, were usually reserved for Steffi to play in tournaments.
1981 In addition to her continued great success in her native Germany (winning the German 14-and-under), in 1981 Steffi conquered the rest of the world by capturing the prestigious Orange Bowl 12s in Florida, which is widely acknowledged as the international championships for the juniors.
This was also the year Steffi, upon Breskvar's recommendations, would join the Heidelberg Tennis Club, where she played against other clubs. She helped the team do very well until she left in 1983.
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