The atmosphere is not a happy one on the German Davis Cup team according to l'Équipe's Alexis Menuge. The replacement of Caresten Arriensau by Michael Kohlmann puts Philipp Kohlschreiber up front again. And, according to Alexis Menuge, no one likes Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Kohlschreiber: I'm happy to be back. There are no regrets, I have a team feeling. I don't need favours. Sure, I often say out loud what others think privately, and sometimes I expressly myself badly which leads to misunderstandings. But I'm just a regular guy.

Nicolas Klefer doesn't agree: The DTB should have drawn a thick line through the Kohlschreiber era and gambled on youth, even if the risk of falling to a lower level was imminent. As long as he's there, there will be perpetual chaos.

It all began with a conflict between Tommy Hass and Kohlschreiber, when the former accused the latter of inventing an illness to withdraw against Argentina (1-4) in the first round. Even if the two have made up since, their relationship has remained nonetheless distant.

As the DTB has been unable to get Boris Becker or Michael Stich, the German team is at in impasse it doesn't know how to escape. If Kohlmann is reputed to be calm and balanced, his lack of experience could cost them dearly. He's counting on his new consultant, Niki Pilic, 75 years old, the "tanned" Croat who led Germany to its last three wins in 1988, 1989 and 1993. He's promised to take care of Kohlschreiber personally: "Philipp needs to change his image," is how he summed it up.

Reply · Report Post