Barbara Rittner very satisfied with the development of the Porsche teams
In the Porsche Talent Team and Porsche Junior Team, the sports car manufacturer, together with the German Tennis Association (DTB), promotes the best young players in Germany. The teams have now been reorganized for the 2022 season.
by p.m
last edit: Feb 03, 2022, 01:33 pm
What a season finale for Nastasja Schunk and Jule Niemeier. In November 2021, the players from the Porsche Talent Team made their debut in the Billie Jean King Cup in Prague. In the final round of the most important team competition in women's tennis, they were part of Porsche Team Germany for the first time, together with world-class players such as Angelique Kerber and Andrea Petkovic. They also made their first appearance in doubles against Switzerland.
For Nastasja Schunk it was not the only highlight of the year: at the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon she reached the junior final with good performances. Her performance at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix was also strong: in the Porsche Arena she was in the main round of a WTA tournament for the first time and put up a hard fight with the top 10 player Belinda Bencic.
Three newcomers to the Porsche Talent Team
In addition to Nastasja Schunk (18) and Jule Niemeier (22), Alexandra Vecic (20) and Eva Lys (20) are still part of the Porsche Talent Team. Alexandra Vecic reached the junior semi-finals of the Australian Open in 2020, Eva Lys became German champion in 2021. This season, Noma Noha Akugue (18), the German Champion of 2020, as well as Mara Guth (18) and Julia Middendorf ( 19). These three players have moved up from the Porsche Junior Team and should now also benefit from support that is primarily aimed at making the players' environment more professional by expanding individual support in training and at tournaments.
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In addition to the Porsche Talent Team, which aims to support the young players with the difficult entry into the professional tour, there is the Porsche Junior Team as a second pillar. In this way, Porsche and the German Tennis Association are making it possible for talented youngsters under the age of 18 to have better training conditions and more intensive support. Joelle Steur (17), Tea Lukic (17), Ella Seidel (16) and Carolina Kuhl (16), recently a quarter-finalist in the junior competition at the Australian Open, have already benefited from this support. New to the Porsche Junior Team for the 2022 season are Marie Vogt (17), Josy Daems (15) and Julia Stusek, who is only 13 and the youngest in the team.
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"It is important to us not only to support Porsche Team Germany in the Billie Jean King Cup," says Oliver Blume, CEO of Porsche AG. "We also want to support promising talents in their development and accompany young players on their way to the top. The Porsche Talent Team and the Porsche Junior Team are therefore very important to us.”
Barbara Rittner, head national coach of the DTB, decides which talents are promoted in the teams in consultation with the coaching staff. "All the nominated players convinced us in 2021, above all with their performances and their determination," she says. "In addition, they have a very professional attitude and are ready to fully concentrate on their professional career as a tennis player."