Tennis
The German Davis Cup team missed the semi-finals against Canada – 1: 2
Tim Putz (R) and Kevin Kravitz in action. Photo
© Frank Molter / dpa
Germany’s hopes of a second straight Davis Cup semi-final are over. Men’s tennis fought big without Alexander Zverev. A chain breaks.
The German Davis Cup team missed out on a surprise upset against Canada and must continue to wait for their first title since 1993 at the prestigious nation’s competition. Team boss Michael Coleman’s side lost 2-1 to the favorites Canadians in Malaga on Friday night.
Pairs Kevin Kravitz/Tim Putz, previously undefeated in Davis Cup, lost in the deciding doubles. In the first match of the evening, Jan-Lennard Struff gave the Germans the lead, with Oskar Otte then conceding his first win for the Black-Red-Gold.
Without injured Olympic champion Alexander Zverev, the sworn-off team put up a great fight in front of some 7500 spectators at times. With the impressive silver Davis Cup trophy in mind, German hopes for a fourth Davis Cup title after 1988, 1989 and 1993 remained a pipe dream. Especially bitter: for Germany’s doubles, a torrid series was broken at 6:2, 3:6, 3:6 shortly after midnight after 15 wins.
Kohlmann had announced something “extraordinary” for the team competition in the coastal city of Andalusia – and at first not to be disappointed. The “sensational team dynamics” often invoked over the past few days hopefully released extra power, at least for Struff. Even before the first rally, Warsteiner formed a circle arm in arm with his comrades and prepared for a possible surprise coup. Chants of “let’s go” echoed across the field from the German fan block.
The confidence of the German team was clearly noticeable, despite the obvious external role. Struff entered the bout with a 5–3 record against Denis Shapovalov in head-to-head matches. Otte with the feeling that Félix Auger-Aliassime was on the brink of defeat in October. Struff shouldn’t be disappointed against one of his favorite opponents.
As with the successes in September, Warsteiner outdid himself in the Davis Cup. The 32-year-old, whose season was marred by a two-month foot injury, beat Shapovalov 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2) in a tennis thriller. “Our cohesion makes it so special to play for Germany. It motivates me even more,” said Strauff after being served a match ball in the deciding set at 5:3 and later at 5:4. “It was very difficult to stay calm mentally and also to apply pressure,” said the German, describing a mixture of emotions.
Otte played one of his best matches against Auger-Aliassime in summer temperatures since his knee operation in the summer. The Canadian high-flyer of the last few weeks caused a lot more problems than suspected at 6:7 (1:7), 4:6. The man from Cologne said, “I can’t blame myself too much today. If there was someone else today, I might have won.”
In conclusion, it was a strong German performance without a happy ending. Next year, 30 years after the last success in Davis Cup, tennis men will start the next title hunt.
