Davis Cup continues to cause trouble

The upcoming group phase of the Davis Cup continues to cause confusion in German tennis. Team manager Michael Kohlmann has now sharply criticized the awarding of the tournament to China.

“I think that the teams that are here now all agree that it is more or less nonsense to play here,” the 50-year-old ranted.

“You can’t blame the Chinese and especially the Chinese Tennis Association, they are really trying their best here and I think they have organized it optimally here too,” Kohlmann continued.

But the journey is simply too far, especially for top players who have been competing at the US Open until recently. “We all talked about our travel routes and how difficult it was for some of us to actually get here,” explained Kohlmann.

The Chinese Tennis Association was awarded the group stage, although China itself only plays in the third division of the tournament series. Not a single participant in the highest division comes from Asia.

German tennis team without Alexander Zverev

Germany started the group phase on Tuesday (8:00 a.m. German time) in Zhuhai against Slovakia. The other opponents are Chile and the USA.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) recently defended the awarding of the tournament to China, citing marketing reasons. “Hosting a Davis Cup final event in China offers the opportunity to further increase growth,” said a spokesperson – without addressing specific criticisms such as the travel strain.

For the German team, the argument is not enough. “I think the ITF has to face questions. I think we have made our positions relatively clear. We will have to wait and see what happens next,” said Kohlmann.

Germany will be competing in China with a severely weakened squad and will have to do without top players Alexander Zverev and Jan-Lennard Struff. Doubles specialists Tim Pütz and Kevin Krawietz are not expected in China until Monday evening after reaching the US Open final.

The aim remains to qualify for the finals in Malaga in November. The top two teams in the group will advance.