Press Release from Davis Cup website
The ITF and Kosmos Tennis today announced that the Davis Cup Steering Committee has selected Madrid as the host city to stage the first two editions of the newly-tranformed Davis Cup by BNP Paribas finals in 2019 and 2020.
The 2019 event will take place at the iconic La Caja Magica, located in Madrid’s Parque Lineal del Manzanares. The venue will see the 118-year-old competition entering a new phase, welcoming 18 nations and the world’s best players to compete for the prestigious Davis Cup trophy next year. La Caja Magica and the WiZink Center are both under consideration to stage the event in 2020.
The finals will be hosted in partnership with Ayuntamiento de Madrid, the city’s council, and the Comunidad de Madrid, the regional governing body.
The Davis Cup Steering Committee is comprised of ITF President David Haggerty, Kosmos Founder and President Gerard Pique, Spanish former professional tennis player Galo Blanco and ITF Vice President Rene Stammbach. A submission from the Metropole Europeenne de Lille was also considered, with the Committe noting the high standard of proposal from both candidate cities.
ITF President David Haggerty said: “We are delighted to be bringing the 2019 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas final to Madrid. The city is a fitting location to stage the highest quality tennis and great entertainment for thousands of fans from all over the world. We look forward to working with the city to realize our ambitions of elevation the Davis Cup to a new level. On behalf of the Steering Commitee we thank the Ayuntamiento de Madrid and the Comunidad de Madrid, as well as Lille for their excellent proposals and professionalism during the selection process.”
Prior to yesterday’s 2019 Davis Cup by BNP Parbias final Qualifier Draw, the Steering Committee also awarded two wild cards for the 2019 finals to Argentina and Great Britain, where they will be joined by the four semi-finalists of the 2018 competition – Croatia, France, Spain, USA – and the 12 winners of the 2019 Qualifiers to be held in February.
La Caja Magica has established itself as a globally-recognized top class tennis venue. It is comprised of three main show courts while the complex around the main site also includes several indoor and outdoor courts. The WiZink Center also has extensive experience hosting major sports and entertainment events.
The Davis Cup by BNP Paribas finals will take place in a group-stage format over the first four days, with the countries divided into six groups of three teams. Each tie will consist of three matches – two singles and one doubles – of best-of-three sets.
The six group winners and two second-placed teams with the best records will qualify for the knock-out quarter-finals. The team placed 5th to 16th will compete in the following year’s Qualifiers, while the teams placed 17th and 18th will be relegated to their respective Zone Groups.
Further details regarding the 2019 Davis Cup BNP Paribas finals will be announced in due course.
