The ITF announced today that the 100th Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final will be staged at the O2 Arena in Prague on November 16-18, 2012. The 2012 final between Czech Republic and Spain will be played indoors in front of over 13,000 spectators, and marks the start of the ITF’s 2013 centenary celebrations.
Prague’s O2 Arena will also host the 2012 Fed Cup Final between Czech Republic and Serbia on November 3-4, 2012, becoming the first stadium to stage both finals in the same year. Czech Republic has also made history by becoming the first country to host both finals since the introduction of the Fed Cup World Group in 1995.
Spain is bidding for its fourth title in five years, having defeated Argentina in the 2011 Final in Seville. Czech Republic is looking for its first title since Ivan Lendl led Czechoslovakia to victory over Italy in the 1980 final in Prague at the Sportnovi Hala. Spain leads Czech Republic 4-2 in head-to-head meetings, and won their most recent encounter 5-0 at the 2009 Davis Cup Final in Barcelona.
Prague’s O2 Arena was built in time to stage the World Ice Hockey Championships in 2004 and has since held major sporting events for ice hockey, basketball and floorball. The venue has also welcomed some of the world’s biggest music acts, including Elton John, Coldplay and Lady Gaga.