Cities to bid for finals in Davis & Fed Cup revamp
Cities could bid to stage the finals of the Davis and Fed Cups as part of a revamp of the team tennis competitions.
The Davis Cup final may also be reduced from three to two days, with matches shortened to best-of-three sets, under proposals from the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
The Fed Cup world group could double to 16 teams to match the men’s event.
“This is part of our mission to make the appeal of tennis broad and wide,” said ITF president David Haggerty.
The Davis Cup and Fed Cup finals are currently held in a city selected by one of the finalists, based on the draw.
| 2016 tennis team finals |
|---|
| Fed Cup: Czech Republic v France, Strasbourg, 12-13 November |
| Davis Cup: Croatia v Argentina, Croatia, venue TBC – 25-27 November |
“By having a full year or two to plan we can do more for sponsors and fans with a stadium that’s an appropriate size,” said Haggerty, who envisages the winning bid staging both finals for two to three years.
The Davis and Fed Cup proposals must be approved by the ITF’s annual general meeting next year, with the changes potentially introduced in 2018.
This year Argentina will travel to Croatia for November’s Davis Cup final, having beaten defending champions Great Britain last weekend.
One match took five hours and seven minutes as Argentine Juan Martin del Potro defeated Andy Murray in five sets.
Great Britain, whose 2015 Davis Cup triumph was their first in 79 years, will find out in Wednesday’s draw which nation they will face in the 2017 first round in February.