German Billie Jean King Cup team experienced an odd issue just before the start of the Play-Offs weekend in Ismaning as team captain Rainer Schuttler claims they went through a complicated process to register 20-year-old Tessa Brockmann, who has lived in and represented Germany her entire life.
Against Turkey and Belgium, Schuttler initially nominated Laura Siegemund, Eva Lys, Ella Seidel, Anna-Lena Friedsam and Jule Niemeier. But then, Siegemund was forced to withdraw, which led to the captain calling up rising star Brockmann, who is currently enjoying a career-high ranking of No. 295 in the world.
First of all, a big thank you to Tessa. We called her yesterday afternoon during training in Itzehoe (Northern Germany). She immediately agreed, dropped everything, and caught the last flight to Munich last night," Schuttler told tennis.com.
Schuttler calls out the ITF, reveals the complications they endured before registering Brockmann
They required a passport that was more than two years old, but when you get a new one, you usually hand the old one in. So, we submitted ID cards, official documents, certificates, and birth records. She was born here, has lived in Germany her whole life, and has never represented another country. Its surprising that the process was so complicated. This wasnt a decision made in the spirit of supporting young players or the sport itself. The ITF should really reconsider this kind of bureaucracy," the former world No. 5 said.
Germany will certainly hope to capitalize on their home court advantage in Group F of their Billie Jean King Cup Play-offs versus Belgium and Turkey. The winner of the group will book a place in the 2026 Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers.
With Siegemund out, the most is expected from Lys, who enjoyed a breakout season in 2026. The 23-year-old rising German enters the Play-Offs sitting at a career-high ranking of No. 40 in the world.
