Billie Jean King Cup: Prague replaces Budapest as host city, Canada enter group stage

Paris: Prague will host the Billie Jean King Cup in November this year, replacing Budapest which was due to stage the rebranded Fed Cup tournament in April 2020 before it was twice postponed . The season-ending team tournament will be held on indoor hard courts at the O2 Arena in the Czech capital from 1-6 November. November will see both the women’s and men’s team events take place in the same month with the Davis Cup running from 25 November to 5 December. Changes to the draw for the 2021 edition see former host nation Hungary replaced in Group A by Canada who will compete alongside defending champions France and the Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) team. The following group draws remains unchanged. Group B features Australia, Belarus and Belgium; Group C has the United States, Spain and Slovakia while Group D boasts the Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland. “I am full of exceptionally positive emotions, and I’m really happy. It is probably the greatest sports event the Czech Republic has ever hosted,” said Ivo Kaderka, the head of the Czech Tennis Association. Crowd restrictions, due to Covid-19, may be in place, he said. “I believe the people who like tennis will get vaccinated so they can support our girls and help them win the Prague tournament.”