The International Tennis Federation confirmed on Sunday that the host cities of their premier team events will remain unchanged for another year.
During a draw ceremony for the 2024 Davis Cup, it was announced that Malaga will once again hold the eight-team finale at the end of next season. Making it the fifth time in a row that the event has been held on Spanish soil since the competition underwent a revamp following an ITF AGM vote. It would have been six but the 2020 edition had to be axed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have just successfully finished a Final 8 in Malaga and we are already thinking about next year. I thank the International Tennis Federation for trusting us this event,” The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports of the Government of Andalusia, Arturo Bernal, said in a statement.
“It is not easy to organize the Final 8 of this competition in Andalusia for the third consecutive year, but this news shows that we are on the right track and that the Junta de Andalucía (name of regional government) is committed to bringing the best sporting events to Andalusia, which is why it can become the home of Spanish sport.”
The decision comes at the end of what has been a largely successful event in the Spanish city which has attracted thousands of fans in attendance. The venue of the competition, Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena, was near capacity during Italy’s 2-1 win over Serbia in the semi-finals on Saturday when Jannik Sinner stunned Novak Djokovic in three sets.
In a second boost for the Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET), it has also been revealed that Seville will continue hosting the Billie Jean King Cup in 2024. It was previously held in Glasgow, Scotland last year and in Prague, Czech Republic the year before that.
“We’re excited to bring the women’s World Cup of Tennis back to Seville and thanks to our work with ITF member the Real Federacion Espanola de Tenis (RFET), and to our partners the Region of Andalucia who share our vision for the growth of women’s sport, we can now focus on delivering another spectacular Finals for the fans in 2024.” ITF president David Haggerty said in a statement.
Some critics will question the move to continue hosting both events in Spain instead of moving them elsewhere. Since their format has been changed, the finales are yet to take place outside of Europe.
The draws for the 2024 tournaments
Davis Cup
The format of the Davis Cup features teams playing a series of qualifying ties with the winners of those progressing to the finals which will feature 16 teams, including four wildcards. Those 16 teams will then be split down into four groups which will each be held at various locations that are yet to be announced. The top two of each group will then progress to the knockout event in Malaga.
Next year Great Britain, Spain, Australia and Italy will receive wildcards into the finals. They will be joined by 12 winners of the following ties that will be held in February.
- Canada v Korea Republic
- Serbia v Slovakia
- Croatia v Belgium
- Hungary v Germany
- Netherlands v Switzerland
- Czech Republic v Israel
- Ukraine* v United States
- Finland v Portugal
- Chinese Taipei v France
- Argentina v Kazakhstan
- Sweden v Brazil
- Chile v Peru
*Davis Cup organizers will agree on a venue with Ukraine for their tie due to the ongoing war with Russia.
Billie Jean King Cup
The format is similar to the Davis Cup but the winners of the eight qualifying ties will join four wildcards to play in the Finals which begins with the group stages and then the knockout rounds within the same week.
Spain, Canada, Czechia, and Italy have all been given wildcards. They will be joined in Saville by the winners of the following ties.
- Australia (1) (c) * v Mexico
- Switzerland (2) (c) v Poland
- France (3) (c) v Great Britain
- USA (4) (c) v Belgium
- Japan (c) * v Kazakhstan (5)
- Brazil (c) v Germany (6)
- Slovakia (7) (c) * v Slovenia
- Ukraine (c) * v Romania (8)
(#) = seed; (c) = choice of ground; * = choice of ground decided by lot
