By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday March 11, 2020
The 2020 Fed Cup Finals have been postponed due to Coronavirus, along with the Play-Offs.
Photo Source: AP
The 2020 Fed Cup Finals, slated for April 14-19 in Budapest, have been postponed due to Coronavirus. The ITF made the decision to postpone the play-offs as well—they were due to take place on April 17-18 in eight different cities.
"After careful consideration and close discussion with the ITF Board, the Local Organising Committee and in light of today’s announcement by the Hungarian government regarding indoor events, it is with regret that the ITF has announced the postponement of the Fed Cup Finals, originally scheduled to take place 14-19 April at the Laszlo Papp Sport Arena in Budapest,” a statement read. “Event organisers will contact all ticket holders in the next 48 hours to advise them of their options.”
The 12-team event will be the first Fed Cup final in the new format, when it happens.
“We are extremely disappointed to have to make this decision, but we will not risk the safety and welfare of players, captains, event staff or spectators. This decision has not been made lightly; the threat posed by the COVID-19 is a serious one and calls for us to act responsibly as a federation and as human beings,” ITF president David Haggerty said in a statement. “This situation goes beyond sport.”
“New dates for the Finals and for the Play-offs will be announced in due course and will primarily be guided by the length of time that tennis as a whole is affected by COVID-19. We will continue to collaborate with our colleagues across the sport to ensure that the impact on players, tournaments, rights holders and fans is as minimal as possible.”
The Fed Cup finals draws have already taken place and shape up as follows:
Group A: France (1), Russia, Hungary
Group B: Australia (2), Belarus, Belgium
Group C: USA (3), Spain, Slovakia
Group D: Czech Republic (4), Germany, Switzerland
The Fed Cup champions will be crowned after the completion of the knockout phase.
The two runners-up will qualify automatically for the 2021 Finals. The nations that finish in 3rd-12th positions will contest the 2021 Qualifiers. These teams will also be eligible to receive a wild card into the 2021 Finals, along with the winners of the 2020 Play-offs.