STARNBERG, November 17, 2025

What began as a promising Billie Jean King Cup weekend ended in deep disappointment for the German team. In Ismaning, everything was supposed to go according to plan: Germany entered Group F as the clear favourite, a win over Türkiye on Friday seemed assured, and Sunday’s clash with Belgium was expected to decide the group.

But the script began to unravel on the opening day. Türkiye stunned the hosts with a 2–1 victory on Friday. A day later, Ayla Aksu and Ipek Öz came close to ending the entire weekend prematurely. Belgium saved multiple match points in the decisive doubles and narrowly escaped with a 2–1 win — keeping Germany mathematically alive.

On Sunday, however, the German hopes were crushed once and for all. In front of a sold-out crowd of 1,415 spectators at TC Ismaning, Rainer Schüttler’s team fell 0–2 to Belgium. Jeline Vandromme (7–6, 2–6, 6–3 against Anna-Lena Friedsam) and Hanne Vandewinkel (6–0, 6–4 against Ella Seidel) secured the tie after just two singles matches. Belgium moves on to the Qualifiers for the fourth time — Germany, meanwhile, is relegated from the World Group for the first time since 2012.

“We had imagined it differently”

The mood in the German camp was sombre after the defeat.

“This was a very disappointing weekend and we are all devastated. We had imagined it differently. But you also saw how close everything was,” said team captain Rainer Schüttler.

The German team had needed help from elsewhere and watched Saturday’s Türkiye–Belgium encounter together.

“We followed it in a private room at a restaurant, shouting at the screens. The people there probably didn’t really know what was going on. We had our phones on the table and every third point we were screaming. Maybe not ideal for the other guests, but we had our fun.”

Injuries, missing experience — and a look ahead

Despite the tension and emotion of the weekend, relegation is painful — and Schüttler assessed the situation with clear words:

“Relegation is never pleasant. In recent years we already had a relegation tie and fought our way through. With a bit of distance, we’ll need to analyse what went wrong and what needs to improve. But we also have to be realistic: coming back up is not easy. Everything has to come together.”

The absence of experienced players Tatjana Maria and Laura Siegemund also weighed heavily:

“We have three Top 50 players, and none of them played today. There’s nothing more to say,” Schüttler stressed. “They are missing in every respect. When you see the potential we would have — that doesn’t help. If someone is injured, you can’t change it.”

Complicating matters even more, the Billie Jean King Cup format will be reduced from 12 to 8 teams — making the path back to the World Group even steeper.

What comes next?

Asked about his own future, Schüttler remained cautious immediately after the tie:

“We had very long days and matches here. Right now, we’re exhausted and empty. We’ll take a look at everything. In December, we have our traditional call with all the players. Some things definitely need to change — how we train, when we arrive — a thousand things. Then we’ll see.”

Schüttler steps down

On Monday, the German Tennis Federation (DTB) announced that Rainer Schüttler would step down as captain of the German Billie Jean King Cup team. He hopes the move will create space for new ideas and a fresh direction.

Schüttler took over the role in 2020. Under his leadership, the team reached the Finals of the competition three times over the past five years.

“I carried out this role with great passion and am proud of the development of the players and the entire team. After the disappointing outcome of the Play-Offs, now is the right time to take responsibility and make room for new impulses,” Schüttler said in a statement.