Tennis Needs Unity ! WTA Conflicts With Fed Cup

Written by: Staff on 6th April 2014

Tennis Needs Unity ! WTA Conflicts With Fed Cup

epa04090605 Venus Williams of the US reacts during the match against Flavia Pennetta of Italy during the quarter final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis WTA Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 20 February 2014. EPA/ALI HAIDER |

Some significant scheduling conflicts are looming between WTA events and the Fed Cup ties next month.

Both Venus Williams and Dominika Cibulkova are expected at Kuala Lumpur the same week as their countries compete in the women’s team competition. The United States, playing at home, will play France, while the Slovak Republic meets the Canadians. The ties are from April 19-20.

“Venus and Dominikova must play here as they each signed a contractual agreement with us,” Kuala Lumpur tournament director Keld Kristiansen was quoted saying in the New Straits Times.

Meanwhile, Stuttgart organizers are unhappy that Germany will play the Fed Cup semifinals in Australia right before their tournament, which begins April 21. That means top national players like Angelique Kerber, Sabine Lisicki or Andrea Petkovic may not arrive at Stuttgart until after the tournament begins.

“We would have liked it otherwise, that is quite

clear,” said former top German Anke Huber, who is now involved with running the tournament.

It will mean German players are scheduled to begin later in the week, when the top names are also playing, said tournament director Mark Günthardt.

“To move a top ten player to Court 2 is quite

difficult. To put a German player on Court 2 is also

quite difficult,” he said. “The center court [can] empty and the second court is crowded.”

The problem goes back to a disagreement between the ITF and the WTA over Olympic eligibility. After the 2012 Games, the ITF had wanted to increase required participation in Fed Cup and Davis Cup from two ties every four years to four ties.

With players strongly against this new step, the WTA registered its objection by dropping the ITF event from its tournament requirements, as well as scheduling WTA events during ties.

Content via Bob Larson.

Topics: Cibulkova, Fed Cup, Itf, Petkovic, Tennis, Venus Williams, Wta