HAMBURG, August 14, 2026
Germany’s captain Michael Kohlmann has announced his squad for the Davis Cup Qualifiers second round against Croatia, which will take place on September 19 and 20 at the heristo Arena in Halle, Westphalia.
French Open champion Alexander Zverev will headline the German team. He will be joined initially by Yannick Hanfmann and the established doubles pairing of Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz. Kohlmann will announce the fifth member of the squad at a later date.
The tie will be a special homecoming for Zverev, who is set to represent Germany in front of his home crowd for the first time since the Davis Cup tie against Switzerland in Trier in early 2023.
“After the outstanding successes Alexander has enjoyed this year, I am particularly pleased that he is back as part of our Davis Cup team,” Kohlmann said. “He brings not only exceptional sporting quality, but also the experience and energy that these ties require. All of our players have developed very well over the past few months. Now it is about finding the perfect combination on court and, together with the fans in Halle, creating two successful days that we will remember fondly.”
Zverev is also relishing his return to the German Davis Cup team.
“I’m very happy to be playing for Germany in front of a home crowd again,” Zverev said. “The reception I received in Halle after my Grand Slam victory meant a lot to me and showed just how much enthusiasm there is for tennis here. Now it’s about standing up to a strong opponent together with the team and the fans. We want to enjoy a great tennis weekend together and qualify for the Finals once again.”
As with previous nominations, Kohlmann has deliberately left the fifth spot open for now. With the US Open and several other tournaments still to come, the captain wants to retain flexibility when making his final selection.
“The coming weeks include the US Open and other important competitions. That is why we want to maintain the necessary flexibility to respond as well as possible to the players’ sporting development and physical condition,” Kohlmann explained.
Alongside Zverev, Kohlmann is relying on the proven qualities of Hanfmann and the world-class doubles team of Krawietz and Puetz.
“Yannick is enjoying a consistently strong season on tour and has repeatedly shown in the Davis Cup in recent years how valuable he is to our team,” Kohlmann said. “His 6-1 record, including six consecutive victories, underlines that impressively. Kevin and Tim are among the best doubles teams in the world and one of our major strengths. We have a strong team with plenty of quality and experience, and we are looking forward to the challenge against Croatia.”
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