Formerly Fed Cup: Billie Jean King Cup postponed to the end of 2021
As it became known on Thursday, the newly baptized Billie Jean King Cup - formerly Fed Cup - will not take place at the planned time in 2021 either. The final round of the team competition should have taken place from April 13th to 18th, 2021. The BJK Cup will be made up later in the year.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Feb 18, 2021, 04:08 pm
Not a successful premiere for the newly named Billie Jean King Cup. The women's team competition, which should actually have taken place in Budapest from April 13th to 18th, 2021, has been canceled. Due to the continuing rampant Sars-CoV-02 pandemic, it is impossible to hold the event on the planned date.
"The International Tennis Federation and the Hungarian National Sports Agency have announced that the Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas final round will be postponed to a later date in 2021," the organizers wrote on Thursday afternoon on Twitter.
Accordingly, one would have worked long and hard on an event, thought through all possible scenarios - like something behind closed doors - but finally came to the conclusion that the event was simply not possible on the planned date due to "persistent uncertainties".
This also intensifies the doubts about a scheduled continuation of the ATP and WTA tour, which Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev have already expressed after their quarter-final duel. On the sidelines of the Australian Open, the two top 10 players had been toying with hosting several tournaments at one location.
France remains the defending champion longer
"Everyone involved in the event hoped that we would not get into this position, but the situation around COVID-19 remains difficult and limiting"; David Haggerty, President of the ITF, is quoted on the homepage of the Billie Jean King Cup. "Health and safety come first - we are now looking for an alternative date."
Furthermore, they would work hard to bring unforgettable Billie Jean King Cup Finals 2021 to the legs. "And like the players, the fans and Billie Jean King himself, we are looking forward to unforgettable Billie Jean King Cup Finals later this year," said Haggerty.
This means that France remains the defending champion of the traditional team competition. The French won the 2019 tournament in the final against Australia. Twelve teams have already qualified for the 2021 finals, including the German women under the aegis of Rainer Schüttler.