Claudine Schaul Appointed Captain of Luxembourg Billie Jean King Cup Team

On Friday 25 April 2025, the Luxembourg Tennis Federation (FLT) announced the appointment of Claudine Schaul as the new captain of the Luxembourg women's team, which will compete this year in Europe Group III of the Billie Jean King Cup. 

The 41-year-old former world No. 41 succeeds Anne Kremer in the role. "Let's say that during the past years I was still part of the team as a player, but also acting a little bit as a co-captain with Anne [Kremer]. So yes, I wouldn't say it's a huge surprise. I knew she was going to step down at some point and I am honoured and thank the federation for trusting me. This team competition has always been close to my heart, so I'm just happy to be able to continue the adventure with the team, even if it's no longer as a player but in a different role," said Claudine Schaul. 

The Luxembourg team preparing for the upcoming matches will include seven players: Marie Weckerle (WTA ranking 593), Leila Fabbri, Eléonora Molinaro, Laura Palumbo, Lucie Rabiot, Else Vander Stichele and Onalee Wagner. 

"We have a few players who have already been part of the team. We have Marie Weckerle, who is full-time on the ITF Pro circuit. Then we have Eléonora Molinaro, who is no longer on the tour but has a long experience with the team as well. [...] These are players who can form the core of the team and around them, we are trying to build a new team with young, promising players. [...] We have a few who are competing on the ITF Junior Tour and have already shown some good results this year," concluded Claudine Schaul. 

The Europe Group III matches of the Billie Jean King Cup will take place from Monday 16 to Saturday 21 June 2025 at the Chisinau Arena Tennis Club in Moldova. Luxembourg will compete against eleven other teams: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro and San Marino. 

In an interview with Chronicle.lu, the captain highlighted Finland as a strong team but also noted that it is important to wait for the final team lists, as the absence of key players could change the overall dynamics. "I don't like the idea to say we don't care about the result. We do, we are going to go into every match and try to win it. But well, the main thing is that we are in a division with twelve teams and only one team is going up," she said. 

The twelve participating teams will be divided into three groups of four, with group stage matches taking place from Monday 16 to Wednesday 18 June 2025. Following the group stage, placement matches will be held, with the group winners facing each other, as well as the second-, third-, and fourth-placed teams competing within their respective rankings. The team finishing first among the group winners will earn promotion to the higher division in 2026.