BERLIN -- Germany turned to its glorious past on Friday by appointing Michael Stich as Davis Cup captain.

The former Wimbledon champion faces a tough task in trying to revive the days when he and Boris Becker made Germany a force to be reckoned with.

The 33-year-old replaces Carl-Uwe Steeb, who stepped down last month after coming under fire for the team's shock 4-1 quarter-final defeat by a weak Dutch side in April.

The German Tennis Federation (DTB) first asked Becker to take over -- the three-times Wimbledon champion led Germany to Davis Cup victories in 1988 and 1989.

But Becker declined, saying he had enough to do with promoting young talent and playing on the seniors tour.

Stich, who beat Becker in the 1991 Wimbledon final and has always had a difficult relationship with him, was then approached. He signed a contract for the 2002 season on Friday after weeks of negotiation.

Stich's relationship with the DTB has not been without problems, after Claus Stauder, then president of the ruling body, told him he was not needed when Stich offered to help in 1997.

"What happened betwen Stich and the DTB in the past is not relevant," current DTB boss Georg von Valdenfels said last month when he named Stich as his favoured candidate.

"I have never had any problems with Mr. Stich."

Germany, who have not won the Davis Cup since Stich helped them to their third and last triumph in 1993, have been going through hard times lately.

Becker stepped in, working with Steeb from 1997 as both team manager and doubles player, before internal squabbling prompted him to leave the team in December 1999.

Stich said he would meet Tommy Haas and Nicolas Kiefer, Germany's leading singles players, on Sunday in Paris.

"Having a good contact with the players is vital and that's why I want to meet them as quickly as possible," he said.

His first mission will be to convince Haas to play.

The Stuttgart Masters Series tournament winner said last month he wanted to stop playing in the Davis Cup for a year to concentrate on his own career.

"I'm looking forward to my duty," said Stich. "I am convinced that the team will soon have success and that we can build for the future."

Stich insisted that the fact he has not been seen on the circuit since he ended his playing career was not a handicap.

"I have kept following tennis," he said. "I was not at tournaments but I still know how to send the ball over the net."

Stich played 17 times for Germany between 1990 and 1996, winning 35 of his 46 singles matches. His finest hour came in the 1993 final, when he won both his singles match and the doubles with Marc Goellner as Germany beat Australia 4-1.

The Germany captain then was Niki Pilic, who now guides Croatia -- Germany's first round opponents in Stich's first tie next February.

"I'm looking forward to meeting Niki and I'm certain that it will be a good and fair tie," Stich said.