Horst Skoff, Austrian tennis player, dies at 39
AP Sports
Posted: 2008-06-08 11:26:46
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) -Horst Skoff, a former Austrian tennis player who won four ATP Tour titles, died during a business trip to Germany. He was 39.

Austria's tennis federation said Skoff died Saturday of a heart attack. Skoff's friend, Arno Puckhofer, said federal police had ordered an autopsy to verify the cause of death. Puckhofer told Austrian news agency APA that police were investigating why Skoff had injuries to his face.

Puckhofer said Skoff, who ran a tennis school the past 19 months, battled weight problems since his retiring from the sport in 1995.

Skoff was ranked as high as 18th in the world in 1990, and had a singles record of 228-203. He also added two ATP Tour doubles titles to his four singles victories.

Skoff helped lead Austria to the 1990 Davis Cup semifinals along with the former top-ranked Thomas Muster. Austria lost 3-2 against the United States in front of 40,000 spectators at Vienna's Prater Stadium, after Skoff lost a five-set match to Michael Chang.

"It's hard to comprehend that a person so young had to die," Muster said. "He accompanied me, challenged me and motivated me over many years."