“Golden Generation” coached
The departure of the boss stirs up the German tennis world
February 19, 2024, 8:14 p.m
The time of “one of the most successful trainers in the history of the DTB” suddenly ends at the German Tennis Association. The separation from Barbara Rittner is causing debates in the scene. Big names express their lack of understanding, the successor is unclear.
Boris Becker was the first to express his opinion very clearly. “Barbara, you did a great job!!! The DTB will still miss you…” he let his Instagram followers know. Anke Huber, once number two in German women’s tennis behind the great Steffi Graf, followed up. “Barbara has done a great job over the last 20 years and she will be very difficult to replace,” said Huber, tournament director of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart: “I hope the people in charge have some idea what the DTB is missing in the future becomes.”
The answer to this remains hidden. After the surprising separation from head national coach Barbara Rittner, who suddenly found herself at the door after almost 20 years of association work, DTB President Dietloff von Arnim needed 24 hours before making a thin statement. Rittner’s “great sporting expertise and analytical skills” were always in demand. “Under her leadership, a golden generation grew up,” and she will go down in the history of the DTB as one of the most successful trainers.
But what really happened, especially since no one believes in the popular amicable separation clause. At the final round of the Billie Jean King Cup in Seville in November, some players are said to have spoken out against Barbara Rittner’s allegedly too strict style after the defeats against Italy and France. The former successful coach Klaus Hofsäss can only smile wearily about it. “You don’t find success in your comfort zone,” he said. You also have to “put your finger in the wound”. The separation from Rittner was “a big, big loss for the DTB”.
“Thanks for pooping”
It is possible that the mini-mutiny in Seville was a welcome reason for the DTB to question the controversial and opinionated Rittner. However, the popularity of the 50-year-old suggests that this step was not particularly popular in the scene. “Thank you for pooping when it was necessary, for being there in all moments, THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING,” writes Andrea Petković on behalf of many companions, and Laura Siegemund thanks you for “your tennis know-how, your open ear to everyone (Tennis) life situations, your honest feedback, your passion for German women’s tennis”.
But what happens now in the association, considering that Barbara Rittner was so much more than just a trainer? Twelve years ago, she landed the association’s well-paid contract with Porsche, which was always closely linked to her name and her Porsche junior team and whose current extension has not yet been decided. Most recently, the sponsor was said to be dissatisfied with the fact that the money made available for the female youth sector had allegedly flowed into other areas of the DTB without consultation.
So again: what happens next? This Monday, the DTB and its sports director, Veronika RÃcker, invited their entire national team of trainers to a closed meeting at the association headquarters in Hamburg. It is entirely conceivable that other items will be put to the test.