Daniel Prenn–From Germany’s First Man in the Top Ten to ‘“No Nationality” Man’?

This biographical study thematizes the life of Daniel Prenn, Germany’s first male tennis player in the world’s top ten ranking. Emigrating from St. Petersburg to Berlin as an adolescent, he soon developed a great talent in tennis, became Germany’s number one player and represented the country in the Davis Cup before in 1933–at the height of his success–he became a famous victim of the sport segregation by the National Socialists due to his Jewish background. Subsequently, Daniel migrated to the United Kingdom and was able to continue his tennis career. This article explores his story and contextualizes it before the historical background, as his life is connected to numerous contemporary developments of the time such as antisemitism, emigration, naturalization and more. Further, the study provides insights into the role of sports regarding processes of integration and identification. It looks at the trajectory of an early sports migrant, his motivations, experiences, obstacles and successes. So far, Daniel Prenn’s story has been absent from (sports) history, and his life has not yet been studied in detail nor remembered comprehensively. This biographical account is a first attempt at changing this.