Prague has arrived, the final of the BJ King Cup of tennis teams will be in the O2 arena – ČT sport – Czech Television
We were originally supposed to play clay in Budapest, but last year the tournament was canceled due to coronavirus, this year it was postponed and in May the Hungarian capital gave up. The president of the Czech Tennis Association, Ivo Kaderka, pays for the first time about the possibility of taking over the final in June, and the agreement was signed this week after the Czech government supported the event with 65 million crowns from budget reserves on Monday.
The Czechs got a wild card to the final tournament and in group D they will play against Switzerland and Germany according to a draw from last year. Australia, Belarus, Belgium, France, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, the USA and, more recently, Canada will also start to replace Hungary.
“I’m full of extremely positive emotions and it’s very lucky,” Kaderka rejoiced at the top events, which will be played for the first time in a new model and under a new name. “For the Czechia, it is probably the biggest sporting event that has ever been here. After football and basketball, tennis is the third most widespread sport in the world in the Czech Republic. The twelve best teams on the planet will meet. The world champion will emerge from them and the whole sports world, 175 countries, will be watching Prague, “he said at a press conference.
It will be played in the O2 arena and at the same time in the adjacent smaller hall of the O2 universum. Advance ticket sales will begin at the end of September, and audience participation will depend on current government regulations on the coronavirus situation. Currently, 3,000 people with a coronavirus test, after covid-19 in the last 180 days or with vaccinations are allowed in the halls. However, the capacity of the venue will be able to be fully utilized, but above the mentioned limits it will be possible to supplement it only by people with a lead or with a safe one.
“We did quite a supernatural event here and I believe that people who like tennis will be vaccinated so that they can encourage our girls to win it in Prague,” said Kaderka.
Captain Petr Pála’s trustees are the most successful team in the competition of the last decade. As of 2011, we can make six of the eleven trophies. The remaining five titles were won by Czechoslovakia.
The Czechs last celebrated the Silver Cup after the final in 2018, which was still played by the old system at the time. And just three years ago, the title was played for the last time in Prague.
The Czech capital has already hosted the final finals. In 1986, it took place on clay in Štvanice and the event of the week was the return of Martina Navrátilová to her native country after 11 years. The legendary player already represented the USA at that time and helped them to triumph.
Until last year, the competition was called the Fed Cup. It now bears the name of twelve-time Grand Slam winners and Billie Jean King fighters for gender equality and social justice. “I would like to thank the ITF and the Czech Republic for doing everything in their power to organize the tournament in spite of everything else and circumstances,” said Kingová, who will come to Prague for the first time in her life.
Financial rewards for participating in the final tournament also increased to $ 18 million.