ITF Press Release, September 27, 2018
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-transformed Davis Cup by BNP Paribas finals in 2019 and 2020.
The 2019 event will take place at the iconic La Caja Mágica, 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 Mágica and the WiZink Center are both under consideration to stage the event in 2020.
The finals will be hosted in partnership with the 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 Piqué, Spanish former professional tennis player Galo Blanco and ITF Vice President René Stammbach. A submission from the Métropole Européenne de Lille was also considered, with the Committee 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 finals 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 realise our ambitions of elevating the Davis Cup to a new level. On behalf of the Steering Committee 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 Paribas finals 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 Mágica has established itself as a globally-recognised 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 sport 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 the two second-placed teams with the best records will qualify for the knock-out quarter-finals. The teams 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.
