Billie Jean King Cup: Final round will take place in Prague
The Billie Jean King Cup Finals will be held from November 1st to 6th, 2021 at the O2 Arena in Prague. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) announced. The event, which was originally planned for April 2020 in Budapest (Hungary), had to be postponed twice due to the corona. The Porsche Team Germany meets in Group D against the Czech Republic and Switzerland.
by PM
last edit: Aug 28, 2021, 03:10 am
We are very pleased that the ITF has found a solution and that our national team will be in Prague in just a few months. The international team competitions are always spectacular and emotional and I am optimistic that our selection will present itself well ”, so the happy reaction of Barbara Rittner, Head of Women's Tennis at the DTB.
At the first-ever final in the City of One Hundred Towers, the Porsche Team Germany will meet the hosts from the Czech Republic and our neighbors from Switzerland in a challenging group from November 1st to 6th. However, the German team around Billie Jean King Cup captain Rainer Schüttler is not impressed by the difficult starting position: “Of course, it is very unusual that we only play the finals one and a half years after successfully qualifying against Brazil. Due to the long waiting time, we as a team are even more motivated to compete in a strong group against the Czech Republic and Switzerland ”, said Schüttler, who is already full of energy:“ Now it is important to prepare for the competition and then with the best team To travel Prague. "
The way from Porsche Team Germany to the finals
Rainer Schüttler's team secured a place at the Billie Jean King Cup finals in Florianópolis in February 2020 with a clear 4-0 win over Brazil. Laura Siegemund, Tatjana Maria, Anna-Lena Friedsam and Antonia Lottner competed for Germany.
"The Porsche Team Germany has been looking forward to the finals for a long time after we qualified for the finals in the duel against Brazil at the beginning of 2020," says DTB Vice President Dirk Hordorff, Head of Department III (youth and top-class sport, education and training) , and adds: “The long break makes the event in Prague something very special. The German Tennis Federation and all of Tennis Germany are looking forward to the matches against Switzerland and the new host from the Czech Republic. "
The German group in the check
The eleven-time Fed Cup winner Czech Republic with top player Karolina Pliskova and the current French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova has won the last six games against the DTB selection and will be able to count on the home fans as the new host nation. Switzerland around the world number 12 Belinda Bencic had qualified with a 3-1 over Canada for the finals. In a direct comparison, Germany leads 4: 2. The last game was five years ago. At that time, the German selection lost 4-1 in the semi-finals in Leipzig.
All groups at a glance
Group A: France, Russia, Canada
Group B: Australia, Belarus, Belgium
Group C: USA, Spain, Slovenia
Group D: Germany , Czech Republic, Switzerland
The new format
In the O2 Arena in Prague (indoor / hard court), in addition to the winning nations of the eight qualifying games (Belgium, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, Slovakia, Spain, USA and Belarus), the finalists of the last edition (France and Australia) as well as the hosts of the Czech Republic and Wildcard holders Canada are starting.
The preliminary round is played in four groups, each with three nations, in a round robin format. The four group winners will play in the semi-finals and finals in knockout mode for the Billie Jean King Cup title. Each game consists of two singles and one double.