[Goran]

She just seems to go from trouble to trouble. First all that drama with Rainer Harnecker who had her living off orange juice and then she hooks up with the detective who investigated Harnecker. He, Rainier Hofmann doesn't sound any better. He's in court at the moment about some dodgey dealings that involved German Telekom and then her father speaks about not liking Patty's relationship and how he can't accept her living with and not being happy about their engagement and now she says she's had enough and wants to move with Hofmann to Mallorca to escape Switzerland and her family. Hofmann's mother said to Swiss newspaper that Patty was terribly upset, cries the whole day and her nerves are shot.

What a poor poor girl.

 

[Goran]

Well it might have been the road that she chose which is her decision but she just doesn't seem to see that these men are no good for her and no good for her tennis. I mean since all this mess she has had bad results. Where as before when she wasn't all messed up she had good results and was a promising young player who was set for bigger and better things. I only hope she will see this and get back to being the player that she once was.

 

[Goran]

Yes, Hofmann is a detective. He was the German detective who helped arrest Harnecker when there was all that drama about the cult etc that they said that Harnecker was involved in etc. Patty got involved with him straight after that so they have been together for three years and have been engaged since December 2001. Her parents also didn't like the fact that he is ten years older then her and they just don't seem to like him and can't accept the fact that Patty is living with him. From what I have read Patty and Rainer live in Lausen in a apartment only 22 km away from Patty's parents in Bottmingen and that is why they want to go to Mallorca to get away from them. Hofmann said that the have been planning to move to Mallorca for months but now it is actually happening.

This is all making headlines in Switzerland and I only hope that Patty can sort something out with her folks even if she does decide to stay with Hofmann.

 

[Goran]

Patty was interviewed by Blick yesterday. I have printed off the interview and translated some of the interesting points.

- She said that the personal contact with them had long been broken and the correspondence she has with them is through lawyers.

- She said that she has taken her life into her own hands. That means she has taken control of her finances. I think that her father had control of this before.

- When they asked her if there was any chance of corresponding without lawyers she said that she had tried but her parents want total control over her.

- Her mother has left messages on her cellphone voicemail or she sends her postcards or letters. The content of these is not very nice.

- Once her parents were on holiday in Mexico and Patty said they have nothing better to do but write to her about how she brought her tennis defeats on herself and how they wish her no luck for her next tournament.

- Her mother has said that she had no choice but to go to the press to tell the world about Hofmann and his dealings with German Telekom because he is a criminal and she wanted the world to know it.

- Patty also said that her parents hatred for Hofmann is like that of a hatred of the Taliban.

- Her father had said that he can't understand how Patty can live with such a man and that it is wrong. She said that she can't stand to hear things like this. She said he needs to accept and respect that fact that she is now 23. A woman who can look after herself and that she knows what is good and what isn't good for her.

- Blick asked Patty if the problems with her parents had an effect on her tennis. She said that she couldn't say for sure that that is the reason for her losses but the situation does not help and she is sure that it does a little. She said the tennis world is tough and you have to give 100% all the time and she felt she hadn't been able to do that lately.

- She needs all her energy for tennis and for her real friends.

- She said she has thought long and hard about what she can do to fix all this. But she doesn't know what to do next. She says o.k that she can leave Hofmann and go back home but that would mean she would be miserable and give in and she can't do that.

- They asked Hofmann and Patty if there were wedding bells in soon and the answer was that nothing is impossible.

 

[Goran]

Wow this is fast developing into a war.

Another article said that like irma said that Patty's dad stole money from her. Between August and October 1999 her father withdrew money from her bank without Patty knowing and she doesn't know where the money is and what happened to it. On the 22 of November 2001 at about 10pm Patty's dad turned up at her apartment in Lausen and tried to get in. She said she was afraid and she wouldn't let him in. Through the intercom he said that he would finish her.

She gave examples of the kind of thing that her parents are doing to her:

After a tournament in Basel her mum spat in Hofmann's face and on Patty's birthday last year her mum left a message on her cellphone saying what a liar Hofmann is. Her mum always writes her letters of which the content is not nice.

 

[Goran]

There was another article in the newspaper about all this drama and Patty's mum said that as far as the missing money was concerned it wasn't her father she had to look no further then Hofmann. I just can't believe that a family could be like this. It is all out war. I mean to say that you have a hatred for someone like that of the Taleban is a pretty strong thing. I just hope that the mess will get sorted cause Patty was a good player and still has the potential to be a good player.