Rittner: We are looking forward to big tennis

Barbara Rittner, Head of Women s Tennis of the German Tennis Bundes, accompanies the team since Wednesday at preparing in Prague. The 48-year-old shows absolutely satisfied with our players. So far we had four outstanding days with a lot of exercise time. Everyone is healthy and very good in shape. Now it can start - I m looking forward to the matches, Rittner will be in one Press release of the DTB quotes.

The native Krefelderin sees the German team with the Czech Republic and Switzerland in the probably the most difficult group in the competition. At the Czech to Barbora Krejcikova, this year s winner of the French Open in Paris, and the silver medal winner of Tokyo, Marketa Vontrousova, both is in good form, to the start. This also applies to our top players Angie Kerber and Andrea Petkovic - we look forward to big tennis, says Rittner, who has impressed, like the experienced trio Angelique Kerber, Andrea Petkovic and Anna-Lena Friedensam the two youngster and newcomers have taken: Jule Nieier and Nastasja Schunk are very well integrated into the team. All were very open, have talked a lot and had a lot of fun fun in training, but also in the evening. It s good to have these young players.

The selection of German Tennis Bundes:

Captain Rainer Schüttler has nominated five players for the final week of the competition, which formerly called Fed Cup: Angelique Kerber (Kiel / 33 years / world rankings: 12), Andrea Petkovic (Darmstadt / 34/75), Anna-Lena Friedensam (Andernach / 27 / 137), Jule Niemeier (Dortmund / 22/131) and Nastasja Schunk (Leimen / 18/297). With 17 vocations since 2007, Petkovic is the most experienced player in the German bid, Kerber played before 15 times for Germany, peacemony only once. Niemeier and Schunk are debutants. Jule and Nasti had a fantastic summer. They have developed incredibly this year, said shaker last.

The mode:

The final of the former Fed Cup will be held for the first time in this form. In a final week with twelve teams, four groups of three teams, round-Robin mode (everyone in the groups). Only the first of the four groups reach the semifinals. A game consists of two individually and a double.

The opponents:

Germany has a heavy group caught with hosts Czech Republic and Switzerland for Olympic Champion Belinda Bencic. In the Czech, however, the top players are missing Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova. But with French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova and her double partner Katerina Siniakova, who won with Olympia in Tokyo gold in double, still have a strong team. This is completed by Marketa Vontrousova, Tereza Martincova and Lucie Hradecka. For Switzerland, Bencic is still Jil Teichmann, Viktorija Golubic and Stefanie voegele.

The Schedule:

Her first group match against Czech Republic denies the selection of the German Tennis Covenant on Monday at 17 o clock. One day later (5 pm) Kerber & Co. meet Switzerland. The last group match between the Czech Republic and Switzerland takes place on Thursday (5 pm). The semi-finals are played on Friday (the first at 10.30 clock, the second at 17 o clock). The winners of these games meet on Saturday in the final (16 o clock).

Kerber and Petkovic looked at the duel with the Czech Republic: The Czechs have the advantage that they are so well set up in width. There can be five people canceled, with us in Germany one would say they are the FC Bayern Munich of the Tennis Nations Petkovic said. Maybe this year we have the chance to revanche, Kerber said in a review of the scarce defeat in the final against the Czech Republic in 2014. We trained well, are ready and look forward to it.