Fed Cup: Kerber and Görges are missing in Brazil
Fed Cup captain Rainer Schüttler has named his team for the qualifier against Brazil. With Laura Siegemund, Tatjana Maria, Anna-Lena Friedsam and Antonia Lottner, Porsche Team Germany wants to qualify for the newly created final tournament in Budapest on February 7 and 8 in Florianopolis.
by Press release
last edit: Jan 28, 2020, 03:28 pm
“With these four players, we have a compact and motivated team that already has some experience in the Fed Cup. I am convinced that we will survive the qualification and qualify for the finals in Budapest, ”said Rainer Schüttler.
Schüttler has to do without the two top players Angelique Kerber and Julia Görges at his premiere at the German bank. After Görges had signaled early not to play, Kerber struggled with an injury. "Of course it's a shame that Angelique and Julia are not available, but with Angie the thigh injury has to heal completely," says the 43-year-old Fed Cup captain.
Lottner successful in Fed Cup debut
Porsche Team Germany is led by 31-year-old Laura Siegemund (WTA 72) from Filderstadt, who has been nominated for the fourth time. She made her debut in the national competition in 2017 in Hawaii against the USA, last time in Braunschweig against Belarus in the Fed Cup on the pitch. One year older Tatjana Maria (WTA 87) from Bad Saulgau has now 13 nominations and has already won many important points for Germany. So two years ago she had a large share in the sensational success against Belarus in Minsk. In particular, their double alongside the now resigned Anna-Lena Grönefeld against Aryna Sabalenka and Lidziya Marozava is still well remembered.
Anna-Lena Friedsam (WTA 135) and Antonia Lottner (WTA 156) are two representatives of the younger generation in Brazil: 25-year-old Friedsam from Oberdürenbach in Rhineland-Palatinate had the first training partner against Switzerland in Leipzig in 2016 Cup air sniffed. Two years later, she was officially nominated for a Fed Cup game in Belarus against Minsk, but was unable to actively intervene locally due to an injury. The 23-year-old from Düsseldorf, Lottner, made her Fed Cup debut at this very match and brought Germany to victory with a surprise win against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
Who qualifies for the Fed Cup final week from April 14th to 19th, 2020 in Budapest?
Hosts Hungary and last year's finalists France and Australia are already as sure as Czech Republic, which receives a wildcard. To get hold of one of the remaining eight grid positions, Porsche Team Germany must compete against Brazil on February 7 and 8, 2020.
In the qualification round, four singles and one double will be played, all matches in best-of-three mode. However, the match days now all take place on Friday and Saturday, no longer on Saturday and Sunday as before. The final week in April in Budapest, on the other hand, will be held with a group phase and subsequent knockout round.
Germany and Brazil have faced each other three times in the Fed Cup, most recently the German team won 2-1 in Prague in 1986.