Before things can start, Tatjana Maria has to calm down her little daughter Cecilia. The two-year-old spotted her mother on the press podium at Stuttgart’s Porsche Arena and ran towards her, shouting “Mama”. Tatjana Maria waves to her, Papa Charles-Edouard rushes over and takes little Cecilia in his arms – then the question and answer session can start before the Billie Jean King Cup duel between the German tennis women and Brazil on Friday and Saturday in Stuttgart .
And there, too, Maria is the focus. Because although the 35-year-old only arrived in Swabia from the Colombian capital of Bogotá on Monday, the German hopes of qualifying for the final round of the traditional team competition in mid-November rest on her. After all, Maria joined the team with a lot of self-confidence, having just won her third tournament in Bogotá last week. “It’s been a wonderful week,” said Maria.
With Maria and Friedsam against Brazil
Team boss Rainer Schüttler didn’t have to think twice about nominating Maria for the game on Friday and Saturday in singles. Maria reported fit despite the strain of travel and the time change, so she was ready for the match against the world number 14. Beatriz Haddad Maia-led Brazilians.
The decision about the second individual player, on the other hand, was not that easy for Schüttler. Jule Niemeier is actually 65th in the world rankings. the German number one. But the 23-year-old from Dortmund is in crisis after a great year in 2022. She has only won two of 13 games this season. Most recently, it was already over after the opening matches. And so it is not totally surprising that Schüttler decided against Niemeier and for Anna-Lena Friedsam.
“We discussed it yesterday in the team and think it’s the best match-up for the first day,” said Schüttler, explaining his decision for Friedsam, who is finally fit after many injuries and has already reached two quarter-finals this year . And so Friedsam opens the game against Haddad Maia on Friday (4 p.m.). After that Maria and the Brazilian number two Laura Pigossi play against each other.
Niemeier can hope for action
However, that does not mean that Niemeier will not be used in Stuttgart. For the two singles and the doubles on Saturday, the team bosses can nominate their players at short notice. Schüttler already made use of this when he won the relegation in Croatia at the end of last year. Although Eva Lys had surprisingly won against Petra Martic on the first day, Friedsam was used on the second day. “We have a balanced team in which everyone gets along well and is there for each other,” said Schüttler about his current team, which, like in Croatia, is missing Angelique Kerber, who has just given birth for the first time.
