No German Women’s Tennis Player in Top 50
The German women’s team coach, Rainer Schüttler, sees a need for improvement when it comes to the success of local female players.
Schüttler hopes for a quick end to the crisis in German women’s tennis, stating that the expectation in Germany should be that in the next one or two years, two German female players should make it into the top 20.
In an interview with the Stuttgarter Nachrichten/Zeitung ahead of the Billie Jean King Cup match against Brazil on Friday and Saturday in Stuttgart, Schüttler emphasized that Jule Niemeier, with her quarterfinal appearance at Wimbledon last year, has already shown what she is capable of among the “younger players.” Schüttler also mentioned that Noma Noha Akugue, Eva Lys, and Nastastja Schunk are “very promising talents,” and one or more of them could break through to the top.
No German player is currently ranked among the top 50 in the world, ahead of the WTA tournament starting in Stuttgart on Sunday. According to Schüttler, this is “primarily a societal issue.” In many Eastern European countries, 14-year-olds are already living like professionals, whereas in Germany, more emphasis is placed on education and training.
