How I came to table tennis
My primary school teacher took me to table tennis when I was 7 years old. 

Coaches who inspired and supported me
In the early years Gerlinde Rohrer, later Zsolt Hollo. 

Training sessions
Table tennis: 9-10 sessions.

My goals
I would like to improve in the world ranking, World Championship/ European Championship and participation in the Olympics.

Chantal Mantz is more than sporty, she’s a true athlete. No wonder: Her mother was German National Champion in gymnastics, her father was a professional handball player in the German 1. Bundesliga.

Watching 25 year old Chantal in action is a delight: she is 172 cm pure sportiness and athleticism. Without any doubt she could have made a career in various other sports, too. As a child she loved any ball game. Before trying table tennis, she had already played soccer, tennis, handball and basketball. She improved very quickly and soon had to decide: Would she choose tennis or table tennis? "I was pretty good at tennis, too", she reports. The crucial factor was that she found table tennis to be the biggest fun. A very good choice. 

She rose fast, reaching the European top as a cadet. In 2011 Chantal won a silver medal at the European Youth Championships under 15. Three years later she confirmed her exceeding talent by winning the European Youth Championships for girls. She was the German National Champion for girls in singles and doubles, and in 2017 she won the singles title at the European Championships under 21. However, it took her quite a while to rise to the top of Germany’s women. A knee operation interrupted her career, but at the National Championships 2021 she won a silver medal in singles. 

A few months later, in October 2021, it was time to celebrate again: Chantal Mantz won a gold medal in the team event at the Women’s European Championships. A main reason for her remarkable progress is her constant work on the mental aspects. "I didn’t put that much effort on mental training before", she admits, "but when playing German Championships or international tournaments, you feel pressure, especially against weaker players". Now she can handle that much better. It is a big step from the girls to the women, says Chantal. "Playing against girls, small mistakes aren’t that much of a problem, and when you play a bad return they won’t immediately answer with a bomb."

"To me DONIC means reliability. Not only concerning the equipment but also the human factor."

Now her equipment is very important. She plays DONIC BlueGrip C2 rubbers on a DONIC Original No 1 Senso wood, and this combination helps her a lot. „I need the option to play with a lot of spin. This works well with my BlueGrip C2 rubbers, I’m really happy with them.” 

Equipment is an important point, but not the only reason tying her to DONIC. "I’m a very family oriented person, emotional and sensitive", she says. Therefore, moving to Düsseldorf, where the German National Training Center is located, was a difficult step for Chantal. 

All her family members and friends live in Kolbermoor in southern Germany, a five hours ride from Düsseldorf. This is what makes DONIC even more important to her: the familial atmosphere within the company, the fact that everyone attached to this supplier is treated as a member of the DONIC family, means a lot to her. "I’m really happy belonging to DONIC", she emphasizes and smiles. It sounds like she got to the right place, but she’s still on a journey, climbing further up. 

Being only 25 years old, she might not yet have reached her peak. One can be curious about her progress in the future.