Leeds closing in on signing of player whose father once embarrassed Roger Federer on a tennis court

Leeds United have been busy strengthening their ranks ahead of their return to the Premier League next season.

Leeds have officially signed Jaka Bijol, Gabriel Gudmundsson, Sebastiaan Bornauw and Lukas Nmecha so far.

In addition, Sean Longstaff is reportedly set for a move to Elland Road, while Anton Stach is said to have agreed terms with Leeds.

While Stach may not be a particularly big name on these shores, in Germany he is a well-known player who has represented Germany at senior level.

Stach is also known for being the son of a famous sports commentator who famously embarrassed Roger Federer on a tennis court a decade ago.

Photo by Hannes Magerstaedt/Getty Images

Matthias Stach is a German sports broadcasting legend

Stach’s father is Matthias Stach, one of Germany’s most famous sports commentators. Indeed, he is known as the ‘voice of tennis’ in his home country.

In 2018, Stach won the Best Sports Program accolade at the German Television Awards for his reporting of the US Open on Eurosport, together with Boris Becker.

Three years earlier, Stach – a ranked tennis player in Germany earlier in his career – enjoyed a rally with Federer after his win against Florian Mayer at ATP Halle.

‘Stach not only managed to hold a rally with the Swiss legend, but also to show him up with a very cheeky between-the-legs passing shot which left his opponent stunned,’ TNT Sports reported at the time.

‘Federer dropped down in laughter after he was comprehensively beaten in the rally, with Stach having to hold his hand up to jokingly apologise after celebrating the showboat.’

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How Anton Stach’s career was shaped by his father

Stach took part in an interview with the Hoffenheim website in 2023, where he talked about his formative years.

He was asked whether his relationship with his father was similar to that of Granit Xhaka, who said he had never been praised by his own dad.

“That’s true,” said Stach. “He taught me how to deal with criticism at a very early age.

“When we won 5-0 at youth level and I scored three goals, he never said: ‘Great game, great job’, but rather ‘In that situation, you should have done this and that better’.

Photo by Jürgen Fromme – firo sportphoto/Getty Images

“He always had the opinion: ‘You get enough praise from others anyway!’ I think that left its mark on me, but at the same time it also helped me a lot.

“It’s still like that today: I actually talk to him after every game and he openly tells me his opinion.

“My father is my biggest critic. That’s important. I think that’s the only way to progress.

“But of course I’m happy when he praises me – at least from time to time. Because that does happen too, of course.”

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