DTB team boss Rainer Schüttler - "Surprised that we play on clay"
On April 15th and 16th, Porsche Team Germany will play Kazakhstan in the Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) for a place in the final round. In an interview with the German Tennis Association (DTB), team captain Rainer Schüttler talks about his team's chances and gives a glimpse behind the scenes...
by p.m
last edit: Mar 30, 2022, 09:49 am
Unfortunately, in November in Prague we didn't make it into the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals. Now the cards are shuffled again. How is Porsche Team Germany set up this year?
With Angie Kerber we have a leading player who is in the top 20, has already won three Grand Slams and can beat anyone. Jule Niemeier and Anna-Lena Friedsam showed what they can do in doubles in Prague – they lost to a world-class Czech doubles in the Champions tie-break. Of course we sometimes have to cope with injuries (most recently Laura Siegemund was out for several months due to a knee injury, editor's note). But we have other players who can make up for it. It doesn't matter whether it's singles or doubles: we definitely have a good chance!
You have never played against Kazakhstan. What does the team expect there?
It won't be a problem for the players to acclimatize - that's part of their day-to-day business. But we arrive a few days earlier because we have to get used to the surface. What surprised me is that we play on clay. Of course, the Kazakhs have one strength: Elena Rybakina, who is currently 18th in the world, reached the quarterfinals at the French Open last year. For us it will be the first match on sand this year. But that fits quite well into the tournament schedule. In the week after the Billie Jean King Cup, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix takes place on clay, which is particularly important for the Germans.
A full stadium is expected in Kazakhstan. Are you preparing for away spectators?
In some countries it happens that the audience is extreme - as you saw at the Davis Cup in Brazil. Then you talk about something like that beforehand in the dressing room. The spectators in Kazakhstan are actually always fair. In addition, our players are very experienced and can handle it easily.
Speaking of experienced players: the women are all professionals. With Angelique Kerber there is a real superstar in the team who doesn't need to be taught anything. What is your role as captain?
My job is to put together the best team. When we're together, it's my job to give the best in training and remove all disruptive factors. Everyone should get the best preparation and feel comfortable. It's important to bring the team together and create unity so that everyone is behind the player on the pitch on match day. And of course it's important that everyone has a good time, because only then can you play really well.
There are even more people in Porsche Team Germany – apart from the players. Who is the team behind the team?
We have a doctor with us, two physiotherapists, some employees from the DTB and DTB President Dietloff von Arnim will also be there. Everyone is a piece of the puzzle of the team. This is very important! You have to have a group that you feel comfortable with and people that you can have fun with, eat with. The players travel 40 weeks a year. You have to have a good time off the pitch too.
From 2018 to 2019 you were Angelique Kerber's coach. How does this experience help you in your job as a BJKC captain.
That helps a lot! I had only trained with men before, and I knew the tour primarily from this side. The experience with Angie has shown me how different the address is in men's and women's tennis. So far I've gotten along really well with the team – and I hope they get on well with me too. So far we've had a very good time together: working well, training hard and having a lot of fun.
How are you in contact with the players – outside of BJKC?
I'm good friends with Angie. I am also in regular contact with the others. Of course, the pandemic made it extremely difficult for me because I wasn't able to take part in many tournaments. Hopefully that will now change again so that we don't just hear from each other via messages or short phone calls.
At BJKC you're the captain of a team of five players who are certainly very different. How do you manage to address each one?
They are all individual athletes. Everyone wants to train differently, with different intensity or duration. Some need longer treatment, some hardly at all. Everyone has different needs. You have to adjust to that and talk about it so that you can create a plan. But I'm not on my own for that, I'm on the road with the team to absorb it.
The five of them all know each other - but they actually play independently on the tour all year round. Are there special team building measures for the BJKC period?
We always do a few things to lighten the mood and pass the time together. In Prague, for example, we organized a karaoke evening. We have to see what we can do in Kazakhstan. We're sure to come up with something...
You've been captain of the team since 2020. What is your BJKC highlight so far?
I haven't experienced that much because of the pandemic. But of course it was great that we clearly beat Brazil on my debut. In Prague we haven't played as successfully as we had hoped. But we were very close against the Czech Republic. Now we have to win in Kazakhstan and get back to the final – for the next highlight.
What are you looking forward to in Kazakhstan?
It's nice for me to be on the road with the team. I enjoy it very much. The most tingling moment is when it all kicks off – when everyone is a bit nervous and you can feel the tension. That's what I'm looking forward to the most. I'm crazy about tennis and I enjoy it...