Team captain Michael Kohlmann is counting on Yannick Hanfmann and Maximilian Marterer in the individual matches.
The German Davis Cup team is approaching the qualifying match against Israel with the utmost seriousness despite being the clear favorite. “We do aim to win every match,” said team captain Michael Kohlmann ahead of the clash in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Friday (4:30 p.m.) and Saturday (12:30 p.m.): ”We’re approaching it the same way we would if we were playing the Netherlands in Malaga. We’re trying to decide it as quickly as possible.”
In Malaga in November, the German Tennis Federation (DTB) team lost in the semi-finals to the Netherlands. Now, Kohlmann’s team is approaching the first task of the year in the traditional team competition with renewed vigor, but without its top players Alexander Zverev and Jan-Lennard Struff (ill). “We want to play every game as the favorites we are,” said Kohlmann, who is relying on Yannick Hanfmann and Maximilian Marterer in the singles. The ATP Finals winners Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz will then play in the doubles.
Anything less than a clear victory against Israel, whose top player is Yshai Oliel (ATP 531), would be a huge disappointment. Due to the politically uncertain situation in Israel, the match in Vilnius will be played on neutral ground. Nevertheless, around 900 tickets have been sold. “That’s very cool, we didn’t expect so many spectators,” said Krawietz.
If they win, the German team will face Japan or Great Britain in the second qualifying round in September, where they will play for a ticket to the final in Bologna (November 18-23).