Nelly Neppach

Nelly Neppach (née Bamberger; ; 16 September 1898 – 7 May 1933) was a German female tennis player. Neppach was the first German female to establish an international reputation. Some weeks after Hitler had become Reichskanzler (30 January 1933), she was forced out of the sport by the Nazi regime. She committed suicide at age 34.

Biography Neppach was born into a Jewish family in Frankfurt am Main in 1898. She began playing tennis in her early youth and won her first title in 1910, aged 12.

After World War I, Neppach married film architect and producer Robert Neppach and moved to Berlin, where she joined the sports club Tennis Borussia Berlin.

In 1924 and 1925, Neppach won the singles title at the German Indoor Championships. In 1925, she reached her greatest success by beating Ilse Friedleben in the final of the German Championships at Hamburg in three sets. That year she won eight out of nine possible titles at German championships and was co-ranked No. 1 in Germany with Friedleben.

At her only appearance on a major tournament at the 1927 French Championships, she reached the third round, losing to Eileen Bennett in three sets. During the following years, Neppach's and Ilse Friedleben's place at the top of German women's tennis was taken by younger and more successful players like Cilly Aussem and Hilde Krahwinkel. In this period, Neppach mainly focused on doubles events, but still ranked ninth nationwide in singles in 1932.

End of career On 11 April 1933, ten weeks after the Nazi Regime had seized power in Germany on 30 January, Neppach, who was Jewish, quit her membership at Tennis Borussia. On 24. April 1933, the German tennis federation announced that Jewish players were no longer allowed to play international tournaments.

Neppach was the first German female tennis player who had gained international appreciation. Neppach's was among a rash of Jewish suicides, which were reported with alarm abroad. "It is impossible to publish a complete list of the suicides brought about by Nazi brutality," wrote the Hebrew Standard of Australasia in mentioning her death.

In October 2015 a stolperstein was placed near her former home in Berlin to commemorate Nelly Neppach and her husband.