New team captain Torben Beltz wants to lead the German women back to the top of the world rankings. Victories in April are a must.
A tricky but achievable task awaits the German women’s tennis team as new team captain Torben Beltz makes his debut in the Billie Jean King Cup. After being relegated last year, the German Tennis Federation (DTB) team will compete in the Europe/Africa I regional group in Oeiras, Portugal, from April 7 to 11, where they will face Denmark, Portugal, and Sweden in the group stage. This was the result of the draw by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) on Thursday.
The German team, led by hopeful Eva Lys, must finish first in the group to retain its chance of one of three places in the playoffs in the fall. The four group winners will compete for these starting places after the preliminary round. The four worst teams in the regional group even face relegation to Regional Group II of the national competition formerly known as the Fed Cup.
“The format alone makes this a very challenging task. The group we’ve been drawn into is interesting, not least because we’ll be facing the home team from Portugal,” said national coach Beltz: “We now have to wait and see which players are nominated, but with a top line-up, Denmark would certainly be our biggest competitor.” Beltz, who had already been national coach since the end of 2024, was additionally appointed team captain in the Billie Jean King Cup in February. He succeeded Rainer Schüttler. The former Australian Open finalist resigned in November after almost six years in office. Shortly before that, the German team was relegated for the first time since 2012 after defeats in Ismaning against Turkey (1-2) and Belgium (0-2).