Rainer Schüttler has resigned as captain following the German tennis women’s relegation from the Billie Jean King Cup world group.
The German Tennis Association announced this one day after the disappointing performance in the playoffs of the national tournament. The German team lost in Ismaning against Turkey (1:2) and Belgium (0:2) and was relegated for the first time since 2012.
“It’s the right time to take responsibility”
“I carried out this task with great passion and am proud of the development of the players and the entire team”said Schüttler, who took over the office in 2020: “After the disappointing outcome of the playoffs, now is the right time to take responsibility and make room for new accents.”
With Schüttler, the German women had reached the finals of the Billie Jean King Cup three times in the past five years. “We expressly thank Rainer Schüttler for his extraordinary commitment, his professional work and his important contribution to German women’s tennis.”said DTB board member Veronika Rücker: “With his great commitment, his professional expertise and his human nature, he has repeatedly led the team to top performances over the past five years.”
First analyze, then clarify succession
The association will now “In the coming weeks, we will comprehensively analyze the sporting situation and then begin the search for a suitable successor for the position of team captain.”said the DTB.