Spanish Federation Faces Fed Cup Concerns

Written by: Staff on 30th September 2010

Spanish Federation Faces Fed Cup Concerns

Captain Miguel Sanchez, Carlos Boluda, Roberto Carballes and Oriol Roca (SPAIN) at the offiical draw at Laberinto de las Ciencias y las Artes in San Luis Potosi, Mexico |

Real Federación Española de Tenis, Spain’s tennis federation, has been stung into action after the nation’s six top women players threatened to boycott next year’s Fed Cup because of a perceived neglect of the female game.

The RFET has convened a hastily scheduled conference to be held in Pamplona in early October to address the matter with issues such as the training of top players and the nurturing of young female talent apparently high on the agenda.

A statement issued by the RFET late on Wednesday came in the wake of Spain’s two most high profile female Grand Slam champions Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and Conchita Martinez, stressing their solidarity with the six rebels and said: “It must be noted that the National Tennis Congress is focusing exclusively on women’s tennis for the first time.”

However the RFET begged to take issue with some of the claims made by the six Spanish women: Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, Carla Suarez Navarro, Anabel Medina Garrigues, Arantxa Parra Santonja, Lourdes Dominguez Lino and Nuria Llagostera Vives. According to the statement Spanish tennis is currently investing more than ever before into the women’s game and has long been open to dialogue with the players and suggestions for improvements.

Both Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, three times French Open champion and once winner of the US Open, and 1994 Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez last week threw their support behind the six rebels, denouncing ‘the general apathy shown by the federation toward women’s tennis in recent years’ in a joint statement with 51 other current and former players.

The original complaint sent to the RFET read: “We are very worried about the lack of support from the RFET in many sporting, structural and global areas of women’s tennis both for the present and looking for the future. We want the RFET to acknowledge its errors and solve a large number of questions.”

The initial problem areas include a lack of medical resources and structure for women’s tennis, a decrease in the number of ITF tournaments held in Spain, a lack of structural investment, and the need for greater professional support for the Fed Cup team.

According to the players, these issues were presented to the Federation in 2009, but no improvement has been made. The rebel six initially concluded: “Very much against our will, we have been forced to take a unanimous decision to stop playing and forming part of the national team for the 2011 Fed Cup.”

Topics: Anabel Medina Garrigues, Arantxa Parra, Arantxa Parra Santonja, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Conchita Martinez, Fed Cup, French Open Champion, Grand Slam Champions, Initial Problem, Jose Martinez, Lourdes Dominguez Lino, Maria Jose Martinez, National Tennis, Nuria Llagostera Vives, Real FederacióN EspañOla De Tenis, Rfet, Spanish Federation, Spanish Women, Tennis Federation, Women Players