The Spanish capital Madrid has been selected to host the finals of the newly revamped Davis Cup competition over the next two years.
On Thursday, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Kosmos Tennis confirmed the decision. From next year, the finals of the Davis Cup will be held over a week in November. The structure will feature 18 teams taking part in a format similar to that of the world Cup. Over the first four days, a group stage will take place, followed by the knock-out ties.
Yesterday it was revealed that Great Britain and Argentina have been awarded the two wild cards for the finals. The seven-day event will also include 12 qualified teams and the four semi-finalists from this year’s event.
“We are delighted to be bringing the 2019 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas finals to Madrid.” ITF President David Haggerty said in a statement. “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.”
Next year’s final will be played at the Caja Magica. Venue of the Madrid Open, which takes place every year in May on the clay. The venue has three courts under one structure with retractable roofs. The premier court, Manolo Santana stadium, can hold up to 12,500 seats. Meanwhile the Arantxa Sánchez Vicario stadium seats 3,500 and court 3 has a capacity of 2,500.
In 2020 it is yet to be decided where the event will be staged in Madrid. The Caja Magica is in contention, but so is the Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid (WiZink Center). An indoor sporting facility that is best known for hosting a series of high-profile basketball matches, as well as music concerts.
Under the agreement, the finals will be hosted in partnership with the Ayuntamiento de Madrid (city council) and the Comunidad de Madrid (regional governing body).
The ITF has claimed the new Davis Cup will provide an additional $25M in tennis development around the world. The principle investor of the revamped competition, Kosmos, has pledged to invest $3Bn over the next 25 years. Kosmos is owned by Barcelona F.C. player Gerard Pique.
