Australia’s Davis Cup hopes have skyrocketed, with Germany’s powerful line-up suddenly reduced to a one-man band for next week’s World Group playoff in Hamburg.
If Australian captain Pat Rafter figured he had problems with Bernard Tomic, he should spare a thought for German counterpart Patrick Kuehnen, who has snubbed his No.1 player due to a long-standing conflict and also lost his No.2.
Kuehnen opted not to recall world No.20 Philipp Kohlschreiber after he was unfit for Germany’s first-round home loss to Argentina in April and upset his captain by not supporting the team via mail or text message or even by sitting in the hosts’ courtside box.
Kuehnen and Kohlschreiber reportedly sat down together at the US Open on Sunday to talk through their issues.
Kohlschreiber later told German reporters that he gave Kuehnen a hard time about what the captain had said about him.
Apparently Kuehnen was upset afterwards because he thought Kohlschreiber told the press different things than what they had talked about.
“He crossed the line,” Kuehnen said.
Kohlschreiber, who upset American ninth seed John Isner to reach the last 16 at Flushing Meadows, apparently told reporters that the spirit in the German team wasn’t very good.
Germany will be without world No.21 Tommy Haas for the claycourt tie from September 14-16.
Haas, not a great friend of Kohlschreiber’s, withdrew from the playoff citing fatigue.
The 34-year-old enjoyed a highly successful summer which included victory over Roger Federer in the Halle title match, back-to-back finals in Washington and Hamburg and a run to the Toronto Masters quarters.
The US-based Haas, who received American citizenship in 2010, said it was a difficult decision because he would have loved to play in his home town of Hamburg.
But instead he will enjoy some family time in LA with his wife and one-year-old daughter.
The loss of Kohlschreiber and Haas leaves the 23rd-ranked Florian Mayer to lead the Germans.
Kuehnen also picked world No.85 Benjamin Becker, world No.97 Cedrik-Marcel Stebe and the 106th-ranked Philipp Petzschner.
Despite being unhappy with Tomic’s attitude, Rafter is sticking with the teenager in a five-man team also featuring two-times Davis Cup winner Lleyton Hewitt, plus Matt Ebden, rookie James Duckworth and doubles hopeful Chris Guccione.
Australia are attempting to return to the 16-nation World Group for the first time since 2007.
“It would be nice,” Rafter told AAP.
“Listen, I’d really like it to happen. I think there’s a lot of things that are important in the development of the game of tennis within Australia and Davis Cup is one of the things that puts things in the newspapers.
“So, in that respect, I think it’s pretty important.”
