Davis Cup: From the USA to China – German tennis team attacks world association: “Planning is a disaster”

Still in the doubles final of the US Open on Saturday, already challenged in the Davis Cup on Tuesday: the German duo Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz can hardly breathe at the moment. The tight schedule has caused the duo a lot of trouble, not from a sporting point of view, but above all from a logistical point of view. The group phase of the national competition is taking place in China – on the other side of the world.

“The planning is a disaster,” said Krawietz, criticizing the venue chosen by the ITF, which for many is a real odyssey. On Saturday, the doubles specialist and his partner played in the final in Flushing Meadows, losing to the Australians Max Purcell/Jordan Thompson 4:6, 6:7 (4:7). Three days later, the two Germans had to swing their rackets in Zhuhai, China. The flight from New York to Hong Kong takes around 16 hours, from where they take a shuttle to the venue. The Davis Cup duo also loses half a day on the journey due to the time difference.

“Unfortunately, we can’t change it, we have no influence on it,” stressed Krawietz, underlining that it was “bad” from the players’ point of view.

China not participating in Davis Cup

Team manager Michael Kohlmann sees things similarly, once again sharply criticising the awarding of the group stage to China. All the teams there agree “that it is more or less nonsense to play here,” said the 50-year-old angrily: “We all talked about our travel routes and how difficult it was for some of us to actually get here.” The paradox: host China, only third-class in the Davis Cup, is not even taking part. In addition to the selection of the German Tennis Association (DTB), Slovakia, Chile and the USA will be playing in Zhuhai. The fact that the Chinese association is nevertheless allowed to host the group stage is – of course – due to economic reasons. The Chinese market offers “the opportunity to further increase growth”, explained an ITF spokesperson when asked by “dpa”.

Zverev cancels China stay

Krawietz/Puetz played in China on Tuesday evening, having only arrived on Monday. “We’re trying to be as professional and fresh as possible on the court on Tuesday,” said Krawietz. “We like playing for Germany, we like playing Davis Cup.” This time, it could be particularly important for the strong doubles, as top player Alexander Zverev is missing from the singles. The new number two in the world had suddenly canceled for the Davis Cup in China – due to travel stress, as “Sport1” reports.