Team manager Schüttler resigned after the women’s tennis team was relegated. Now his successor has been named. Kerber’s former coach is gaining strength. The former number one is also set to help the next generation.
Angelique Kerber’s former successful coach is set to lead the German women’s tennis team back into the World Group of the top nations in the Billie Jean King Cup. Forty-nine-year-old Torben Beltz will succeed Rainer Schüttler, who resigned in November after the team’s relegation. From April 7 to 11, the team will begin its quest for promotion in Portugal after twelve years in the elite group.
After the position had been vacant for three months, this is the obvious solution. Beltz has been the head coach of the women’s national team since the end of 2024, when he succeeded Barbara Rittner. There is also a dual role in the men’s team, where Michael Kohlmann has been head coach and captain of the Davis Cup team for years.
Beltz celebrated his greatest successes as a coach with Kerber. In 2016, he led the former player to two of her three Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and the US Open. With Beltz, Kerber rose to number one in the world rankings.
DTB justifies the choice with expertise
Beltz is an “excellent connoisseur of the scene,” said DTB board member Veronika Rücker, explaining the decision. “He knows women’s tennis from our perspective like no one else in Germany.” It also offers “great added value” that Beltz, as head national coach, already works with the current and potential future players on the team. Former doubles specialist Jasmin Wöhr will be the assistant coach. The Billie Jean King Cup was formerly known as the Fed Cup. Germany’s last triumph in the international competition was 34 years ago. In 2014, the DTB team with Kerber, Sabine Lisicki, Andrea Petkovic, and Julia Görges lost in the final.
Kerber to help as mentor
Kerber is involved in the DTB as a mentor. The retired top player and mother of two is in contact with Beltz and, according to Rücker, will be available for training courses for the first time this year.
Beltz, meanwhile, must push ahead with the generational change. Currently, Eva Lys (24 years old/ranked 59th) is the only player under 30 in the world’s top 60. Ella Seidel (21/95th) has made it into the top 100.
The two best players are veterans Laura Siegemund (37/52) and Tatjana Maria (38/54). The association’s ambitious competitive sports concept envisages that eight to ten players will be among the top 100 by 2032.