Began playing at age four or five with his father who had his own tennis school and one day handed him a racquet (at 12 or 13 he practiced more and turned pro at 18...Nicknamed "Petzsche"...Comes from Bavarian city of Bayreuth, same as countryman Florian Mayer...Captured German national championship in 2004 (d. Behrend in final)...Idols growing up were Goran Ivanisevic "because I enjoyed his craziness and you never knew what was going to happen on court" and Stefan Edberg "because of the way he played; he was so smooth and great to watch"...Considers hard courts his best surface, especially indoors, and best shots are his serve and forehand from baseline...Enjoys playing golf and has a 14 handicap along with playing soccer...Sidelined for two and-half months with a shoulder injury from April-June in 2007...Practices at the TennisBase Oberhaching in Munich...Wife, Dewi; son, Aziz; daughter, Natami Aminah.