Meet your Regional Representative for Europe: Eva-Maria Schneider, IC of Germany

Former professional tennis player and long-standing member of the IC movement, Eva-Maria Schneider, has spent decades combining her passion for tennis with a commitment to building international friendships through the sport. From competing on the world stage as a junior and professional player to helping connect IC members across Europe, Eva-Maria continues to play an active role in strengthening the global IC community.

Eva-Maria’s tennis journey began at an early age in Germany, where she became a member of the German junior national team. As a junior player, she travelled extensively and competed in tournaments around the world, including all four Grand Slam events. One of her standout moments came at Wimbledon in 1985, when she reached the semifinals of the girls’ doubles alongside Wiltrud Probst, who later went on to become a Top 50 WTA player and remains an active member of the IC of Germany.

After finishing school, Eva-Maria spent two and a half years competing professionally on the WTA Tour, achieving a career-high singles ranking of 234 and reaching around 200 in doubles. Alongside her professional career, she was also a member of the Bundesliga team of Bayer Leverkusen. During her university years, she continued combining academics with tennis while playing for the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Eva-Maria became a member of the IC of Germany around 2006, with one of her earliest experiences being competing for the Dunlop Trophy in Great Britain. She recalls being introduced to the IC through former president Alex Kurucz, whose invitation immediately appealed to her.

“What struck me right away was the unique spirit of the IC,” she explains. “It combines so many of the things I enjoy most about tennis and international friendships.”

For Eva-Maria, being part of the IC offers far more than just competition on court. She particularly values the opportunity to play high-level tennis in special and historic venues around the world, experiences that she says she may otherwise never have had. Equally important are the friendships and connections built through the organisation.

“Meeting up with like-minded people, many of whom I have known for years, is incredibly special,” she says. “And beyond that, it is simply a great honour to be part of such a unique group.”

Among her many memorable IC experiences, one stands above the rest: the celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the IC of Great Britain. Spending a full week at Wimbledon and taking part in the extensive anniversary programme remains one of her favourite memories within the organisation.

Another recent highlight came in March 2025 during the founding session of the IC of Bolivia, where members gathered at the remarkable Club de Tenis La Paz at high altitude. The event further reinforced for Eva-Maria the international and inclusive spirit that makes the IC movement so distinctive.

Today, Eva-Maria serves as Regional Representative for the ICs of Europe, a role she greatly enjoys because it allows her to bring people together from different countries and backgrounds.

“I really enjoy connecting with people and learning about the different programmes and activities across the various ICs,” she says. “Our online meetings are always interesting and inspiring, and I learn something new every time.”

Through her experience as a player, organiser and ambassador for international tennis friendship, Eva-Maria Schneider continues to embody the values at the heart of the IC movement: sportsmanship, connection and a lifelong love of the game.

You can connect with Eva-Maria through Facebook.

IC's Helena Sukova and Michael Stich inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame

We are delighted to report that Helena Sukova, IC of Czech Republic and Michael Stich, IC of Germany have been elected to receive tennis’ top honor this summer. Labelled 'tennis' ultimate honour', they will join tennis legends from around the world to be formally inducted into the prestigious International Tennis Hall of Fame on July 21st during Hall of Fame Weekend in Newport, Rhode Island.

They will join an elite group of just over 250 people from a total of 23 nations who have received the honour, which recognises their outstanding careers as being among the most impressive and impactful in the history of tennis. As stated by the International Tennis Hall of Fame, their mission statement is to "preserve and promote the history of tennis and celebrate its champions, thereby serving as a vital partner in the growth of tennis".

Helena, a 14 time Grand Slam champion in doubles and mixed doubles, a four-time Grand Slam singles runner-up and winner of 10 singles titles and 69 doubles titles, is a deserving winner from her outstanding tennis achievements alone. But here at the International Lawn Tennis Club, we would also like to recognise all her hard work for the IC of Czech Republic which includes; re-establishing the IC of Czech Republic in 1999 and serving as its President from then until today onwards, as well as her previous 7 years on the Executive Committee of the IC Council from 2001-2008 and active successful representation both on and off the court throughout this time and onwards.

Michael Stich, the former world number 2, won the men's singles title at Wimbledon, along with the doubles titles at both Wimbledon and the Olympic Games. He was singles runner-up at both the French Open and US Open and won 18 singles titles and 10 doubles titles. An active IC of Germany member who serves on the clubs Advisory Board, Michael has also devoted a lot of his time since retirement to his own AIDS foundation.

Many congratulations to both Helena and Michael.