Paul Haarhuis Ready to Step Down as Fed Cup Captain if Bertens Plays
Tennis - Paul Haarhuis, the captain of the Dutch Fed Cup team, says he is willing to step down from his position if top-ranked Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens will play in the team under someone else.
Many players have criticized the role of Haarhuis, who is responsible for the men's and women's teams and say that Haarhuis did not communicate regularly with the players. Bertens, currently ranked in the Top 10 of the world rankings, has not played in the Fed Cup for the past two years and all the four ties of the Dutch team without Bertens have ended in defeat.
Sources say that Bertens is more likely to play under another captain rather than Haarhuis. The report also says that Haarhuis is willing to step down as the captain in case that would bring Bertens into the team. Haarhuis says that if Bertens agrees to come into the team under some one else, then he would happily step down.
Jacco Eltingh, the former doubles partner of Haarhuis, is now the Technical Director of the Dutch Tennis Association and says that if Dutch tennis would benefit from someone else being the Fed Cup captain, then it is something wirth considering. Eltingh also says that Haarhuis is likely to step down as captain in 2020 or 2021 and that Raemon Sluiter, who until recently was the coach of Bertens, could take over as Fed Cup captain.
The 27-year-old Bertens is currently ranked No. 9 in the world rankings though she has been ranked as high as No. 4 in the past. She has won 2 WTA singles titles this year and 9 overall in her career. She also qualified for the season-ending WTA Finals in Shenzhen this year.
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2NZP2JI
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