tennis
Davis Cup team: relief after success in Hungary
The German Davis Cup team has qualified for the group stage. photo
© Marton Monus/dpa
After the setback in 2023, the Davis Cup team has reached a milestone in Hungary. It is a victory for the team that will need the star to achieve its dream. There should be no group games in Germany.
The beer they brought with them amused the successful Davis Cup quartet. Team boss Michael Kohlmann was just talking about the next generation in German men’s tennis that has not yet moved up. Meanwhile, a happy “yes” to the new drink offering could be heard from the players’ row of seats. The lids popped and the bottles were passed around.
The mood was relaxed for Jan-Lennard Struff, Dominik Koepfer, Tim Pütz and Kevin Krawietz after reaching the group phase of the nations competition. Instead of suffering the next “hard disappointment” (Kohlmann) with a first-round exit like in 2023, the team retained the chance of their first title since 1993 even without Alexander Zverev. They had “set big goals for this year,” said the relieved and exhausted Kohlmann in Tatabánya in front of only two German journalists.
Before the draw, he found it “a bit presumptuous” to say that the group phase from September 10th to 15th was only an interim goal. The ultimate goal, however, is “to get towards Malaga,” added the 50-year-old, with a view to the finals in November. “I know that no matter when I call them, the four always come. Then we definitely have a very, very strong team,” said Kohlmann.
Team success against Hungary
If the German Tennis Federation (DTB) team wants to challenge for its first Davis Cup title in 31 years at the end of the season, they will probably have to rely on their exceptional talent Zverev. According to the DTB, he canceled the game in Hungary a week after he lost the Australian Open semi-final because of an infection he brought with him.
The close-knit group compensated for his absence brilliantly and without much trepidation. The 3-2 win against the hosts was a team success, with all four players contributing a point.
Dominik Koepfer (29 years old) impressed against Hungarian number one Fabian Marozsan. The Krawietz (32)/Pütz (36) doubles confirmed its excellent reputation as a reliable point provider. Struff (33) made up for his defeat from the first singles with a mandatory win against outsider Mate Valkusz and got the decisive third point. “We are firmly convinced that we belong there,” said Kohlmann about making it to the group stage. He believes “that we still have a lot to do.”
Struff (24th in the world rankings) as the German number two behind Zverev is in top form and is among the world’s best. A total of six Germans are currently among the top 100. To survive a round in Hungary or, as was the case last September, relegation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kohlmann has alternatives: Daniel Altmaier (25), Yannick Hanfmann (32) or Maximilian, who was nominated for Zverev Martyr (28).
“In terms of rankings, we’re doing quite well. The next goal, and this has nothing to do with the Davis Cup, has to be for the younger generation to move up,” said Kohlmann, referring to the young talent in German men’s tennis.
Will Zverev be there in September?
Zverev (26) is one of the youngest in German men’s tennis. Given the packed Olympic season, will the top star be available for the intermediate round? “I haven’t talked to him about it yet. We now have a little time until September,” replied team captain Kohlmann.
The selection will have to forgo the home advantage in the group phase. DTB President Dietloff von Arnim announced that the association did not want to apply to host a group like in 2022. Given the short notice, no free hall was found, he told the German Press Agency. “Wherever we are sent, we will try to play as successfully as possible,” said Pütz.