German stars have to fly 10,000 kilometers around the world

The awarding of the Davis Cup group stage to China is causing a great deal of excitement. Teams like Germany have to make immense efforts.

Zhuhai – The decision of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to hold the group phase of the Davis Cup in Zhuhai, China, has been met with considerable criticism. German tennis players have to travel thousands of kilometers and face logistical and physical challenges. The German doubles Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz traveled to China directly after the final in New York and are facing an enormous burden. What is particularly piquant is that the host China is not taking part in the tournament itself.

Tennis madness: German stars have to fly 10,000 kilometers around the world

DTB team manager Michael Kohlmann clearly expressed his dissatisfaction: “I think that the teams that are here now all agree that it is more or less nonsense to play here.” The criticism is mainly directed at the long journey of the participating nations and the absence of Chinese tennis players, who are only third-class internationally. This leads to low audience expectations in Zhuhai.

“We all talked about our travel routes and how difficult it was for some of us to actually get here,” Kohlmann continued. The logistical effort and physical strain are enormous, especially for the German duo, who had to travel to China directly after the final in New York. It is around 10,000 kilometers as the crow flies from Germany to China, and almost 13,000 from New York.

DTB team boss rages over tennis madness

The ITF justified the award to China with economic arguments. An ITF spokesman said it offered “the opportunity to further increase growth”.

Kohlmann countered: “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.” Despite the optimal organization by the Chinese Tennis Association, the decision remains controversial. “They are really trying their best here and I think they have organized it optimally here too.”

Germany will have to do without top players like Zverev in the Davis Cup

The decision also has an impact on the competition. Top players such as Alexander Zverev and US Open finalist Taylor Fritz have cancelled due to the strain, and US Open winner Jannik Sinner was worried about his seriously ill aunt after his greatest triumph. Other top players are also missing, which could degrade the Davis Cup from a prestigious competition to a middle-class event. “The effort and reward are not in proportion for the stars,” say the critics.

The other three groups, which are played in Europe like the final round, do better. The host team plays in all three groups. The fact that the ITF did not handle this in the same way in DTB Group C is probably due to greed and could have easily been avoided.

Davis Cup faces uncertain times

The two best teams from the four preliminary groups qualify for the finals in Malaga in November. Germany will have to compete without its top players Alexander Zverev and Jan-Lennard Struff. The ITF should avoid such mistakes in the future in order to maintain the Davis Cup as a prestigious team competition. (ck)