The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has confirmed that the Davis Cup final between Great Britain and Belgium will take place at the Flanders Expo in Ghent.
The 13,000-capacity venue will host the final between November 21st-23rd on clay. The decision to host the final on clay comes following Andy Murray’s revelation that he may skip the ATP Finals to prepare for the clay court, a comment which sparked a swift response from ATP CEO Chris Kermode.
Speaking about the upcoming tie, Tennis Vlaanderen President Dirk de Maeseneer has pledged his full support behind Ghent hosting the venue.
“Ghent will fully support the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final”. He said.
“As the third biggest city in Belgium, it has a lot of experience in hosting top international events, such as the Tour of Flanders, the arrival of the Tour de France in 2007 and the Gymnastics World Championships in 2001 and 2013.”
Belgium has never won the Davis Cup and November will be their first Davis Cup final since 1904. In contrast Great Britain has claimed the title 9 times, but their last triumph was in 1936. This will be their first final since 1978.
The two countries have played each other on 11 previous occasions with Great Britain leading the head-to-head 7-4. Their last meeting was in 2012 where Belgium won 4-1. Current Davis Cup members David Goffin and Steve Darcis played in that tie, but world No.3 Andy Murray was absent.
The final will share some familiar characteristics with the 1904 final where Belgium lost 5-0 to the British Isles. Similar to 111 years ago the British team will consist of two brothers, the Murray brothers. In 1904 the Doherty brothers guided Britain to the first Davis Cup victory.
Facts about the Flanders Expo
-Opened in 1987
-Located in Ghent, Flanders, Belgium.
-Has a surface area of 54,000 sqm with eight exhibition halls, a conference and seminar centre and three restaurants.
