Since mid-February this year, the position of women’s head coach has been vacant at the German Tennis Federation (DTB), the tennis association with the largest membership in the world and the third largest sports organization in Germany with 1.4 million members. . Now it is clear who will do it: Torben Beltz, the retired former champion coach, Angelique Kerber.
DTB board member Rückert: “Wish solution”
After months of waiting and many discussions, it is now clear: in the future, the 48-year-old Beltz will set the tone for German women’s tennis. For him, the nomination is a belated birthday present. On November 21, Beltz, who comes from Itzehoe in Holstein, was able to celebrate his birthday.
“Torben Beltz has done an excellent job on the WTA tour in recent years and is our ideal solution for this position,” DTB board member Veronika Rücker said in a press release. “They have a lot of talent, they have access to young talent and they can develop promising talent.”
Beltz himself said that he was looking forward to this new challenge and was ready to “take the position at DTB. In the last few years as a coach, I have been able to get a lot of valuable information on the trip, which I would have done. Now I like to move forward in the group”. Also: “Together with my team, I want to help Germany become one of the top countries in the world in women’s tennis.”
Torben Beltz knows how to be successful
She has also been able to celebrate more with Angelique Kerber in the past. Because it is with him as a teacher, the native of Kiel, who lived and trained in Regensburg for many years, achieved his greatest success as a great success and the highest place in the world. He is also the one who helped Kerber make a remarkable comeback as a coach this year after the birth of her son and a subsequent break, which led to her success at the Paris Olympics.
In addition to Germany, Beltz also managed world-class players such as Donna Vekic, Emma Raducanu and Anett Kontaveit on the tour.
Beltz really doesn’t know how tennis works, and how to win. And German women’s tennis could use this. There have been no major breakthroughs in recent years. Regular players in the world who have the chance to win major tournaments or Grand Slams are not seen. It is a big task for the new teacher of the country.
Barbara Rittner leaves big shoes to fill
Beltz replaces Barbara Rittner, who, as an official statement from the DTB board said at the time, resigned as head women’s coach by mutual agreement in mid-February. For 15 years he was the first coach of German tennis and did little to ensure that German women’s tennis has a “golden age” between 2009 and 2024 with Angelique Kerber, Andrea Petkovic and Sabine Lisicki, where Kerber has three grand. The Slam titles and being number one in the world rankings (2016) were great achievements.
Rittner also played a major role in DTB’s well-paid partnership with Porsche: the sports car manufacturer has been supporting the small team that bears his name with a lot of money for twelve years. Barbara Rittner – a former solo professional and in recent years a TV personality – has been a huge supporter of German tennis.
Barbara Rittner’s ending is amazing
After his departure, many tennis celebrities praised him on social media and in public. Like Boris Becker, Andrea Petkovic or Anke Huber. In February, DTB just announced the separation of the now 51-year-old: “Due to different opinions about the future partnership, they decided after several discussions to go their separate ways.”
The rest, like the abuse of the players at the Billie Jean King Cup in Seville a year ago, is still speculation. Two weeks after his departure as DTB’s national coach, Rittner said in an interview with RBB: “I’m surprised too – I could have thought we’d be together again sometime.”