After the German tennis women were relegated
DTB team boss Rainer Schüttler resigns
November 17, 2025 – 8:21 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The German tennis women will only be second class in the Billie Jean King Cup in 2026. Team boss Rainer Schüttler is now drawing conclusions.
Just one day after being relegated from the Billie Jean King Cup World Group, Rainer Schüttler announced his resignation. The captain of the German women’s national tennis team quickly drew conclusions. The German Tennis Association (DTB) confirmed the decision on Monday evening.
“After the disappointing outcome of the play-offs, now is the right time to take responsibility and make room for new accents,” Schüttler was quoted as saying in the DTB announcement. The former Australian Open finalist has been in charge of the team since 2020.
The 49-year-old carried out his task “with great passion” and now someone else should take over. The DTB wants to begin the search for a successor in the coming weeks – after the internal analysis has been completed.
Schüttler had initially announced that he wanted to speak to the players in December. Association President Dietloff von Arnim told the German Press Agency (dpa) when asked about a possible separation from Schüttler due to relegation: “We are not a football club.” Now ex-professional Schüttler made a quick decision.
On Sunday, the German team was relegated from the World Group after losing 2-0 to Belgium – for the first time in 13 years. “This defeat hurts a lot,” said head national coach Torben Beltz to the Sport Information Service (SID) and defended Schüttler: “He really tried everything.”
Several players were unavailable for the decisive game. After Tatjana Maria and Laura Siegemund, Eva Lys, who played in the 1-2 loss against Turkey on Friday, also had to cancel at short notice. She was missing against Belgium due to a thigh problem. Without a player from the top 50, the team was significantly weakened.
The setback means moving to the Europe/Africa regional group. Germany will have to prove itself there again next year. “It’s not easy to get promoted again,” Schüttler said on Sunday. “Everything has to come together.”
The relegation hits the DTB in a phase of upheaval. After the retirement of Angelique Kerber and Andrea Petković, players like Eva Lys and 20-year-old Ella Seidel should provide new impetus. Both had recently shown progress.
“I think the weekend doesn’t reflect the actual state of our women’s tennis. Things are actually going in a good direction,” said Beltz. The DTB also sees itself as continuing to be “in the top league” in terms of sport. However, one player from the world’s best is currently missing. In the long term, the association wants to work on bringing more professionals into the top 100 again.