The German Fed Cup team has had a tough time in the draw for the first round of the 2018 World Group.
At the debut of the new captain Jens Gerlach, the team of former world number one Angelique Kerber (Kiel) will have to play on 10/11.In February, Belarus will contest this year’s finalist in the final with top player Viktoria Azarenka.
“This is a difficult task, the Belarusian women have not reached the final for nothing.They are very strong at home, won both games in Minsk this year.For my debut, I would have liked to have had a home match.Nevertheless, the goal can only be to reach the semi-finals,”Gerlach comments on the draw.
The Belarusian women still have a chance to win their first Fed Cup win against the USA in November.The selection of the German Tennis Association (DTB), two-time winner of the competition, had lost 4-0 in the first round this year in the USA and won the season 1 of the world’s eight best nations in the play-off 3-2 against Ukraine.
Gerlach was introduced on Tuesday as the successor of Barbara Rittner, who remains in her new role as Head of Women’s Tennis for the DTB and is responsible for the entire female division.
The Draw of the World Group at a glance
nearby