Billie Jean King Cup Play-offs - GB vs Mexico 16-17th April 2021

RedSquirrel · Satellite level

RE: Billie Jean King Cup Play-offs - GB vs Mexico 16-17th April 2021

flamingowings · All-time great

Katie S says on Instagram that she can't wait to be competing agsin soon. Is she on any entry lists and how fit was she to even play this tie if needed???

the addict · Tennis legend

flamingowings wrote:
Katie S says on Instagram that she can't wait to be competing agsin soon. Is she on any entry lists and how fit was she to even play this tie if needed???

Yes, she's on entry lists for US clay court tournaments, starting 26th April and 3rd May

dodrade · Satellite level

flamingowings wrote:
Katie S says on Instagram that she can't wait to be competing again soon. Is she on any entry lists and how fit was she to even play this tie if needed???

I wondered for a minute about her fitness as well given the way it was phrased but she seemed ok in the clips practising with the rest of the team during the week.

flamingowings · All-time great

dodrade wrote:
flamingowings wrote:
Katie S says on Instagram that she can't wait to be competing again soon. Is she on any entry lists and how fit was she to even play this tie if needed???
I wondered for a minute about her fitness as well given the way it was phrased but she seemed ok in the clips practising with the rest of the team during the week.

Thanks the addict, hopefully she is fit again and does well in these tournaments.

Dodrade - I'm glad it wasn't just me!!

flamingowings · All-time great

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is seeking a new host city for this year's Billie Jean King Cup Finals after terminating the agreement it had with Budapest. https://t.co/8UBzDtnWk8
Reuters Sports (@ReutersSports) May 4, 2021

Ace Ventura · Tennis legend

The LTA were all over Billie Jean King in the lead up to the Mexico tie. I'd love it if the UK ended up somehow hosting it, and GB took over the host spot from Hungary, but whatever happens, I hope Hungary don't get to compete now. Fair enough if they were hosting it, but if not, they bring very little to the player - no current top 100 players (singles anyway), not too many top 250 either, and have been in the lower reaches for a while, and were just given their spot by hosting it, thus promoted a few levels.

Somewhere like Czech Rep or Spain would be decent among the countries already involved, USA even, but I hope they get something sorted soon.

PaulM · Tennis legend

I find it staggering to see the money Hungary were putting up for it apparently, where was that supposed to come from, and to what benefit? Yes I hope it shifts to the Czech Republic, would be a good one and maybe a chance for Barbara Strycova who announced her retirement today to say bye to some fans?

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Its been moved because of Covid, Hungary said it couldnt host and as
It has the highest morbidity level in the world , cant say I disagree. Czechia 2nd , so not sure it would be a sensible option?

Aberdaberdonian · Club Coach

JonH comes home wrote:
Its been moved because of Covid, Hungary said it couldnt host and as
It has the highest morbidity level in the world , cant say I disagree. Czechia 2nd , so not sure it would be a sensible option?

This seems a bit of a strange argument from Hungary, because if i am not mistaken they are still a host city for the Euro 2020 which is happening this summer. And by all accounts they have committed to a full capacity stadium of ca 67,000.

So footie in June, with 3 group games and a last 16 match means potentially 260,000 fans across the 4 games which they believe they can manage, but tennis (in November?) with a 12,500 stadium capacity is too risky. Hmmm....seems a tad fishy. confuse

indiana · Tennis legend

It is true though that in the official covid death figures Hungary has the worst ratio to population figure in the world overall and for each of the individual last 6 weeks, at a weekly rate of continually over 100 deaths per million. The UK has only reached that sort of level at its very peak and last week's UK figure was just under 2 deaths per million ( 132 deaths in all ), and we're still taking things steadily. Much of eastern Europe has been bad in their latest wave with Hungary particularly bad.

I can't imagine how Budapest can commit to anything like a full stadium for the Euros. Dublin and Bilbao, in evidently much better positions, couldn't even agree to the minimum UEFA covid threshold.

-- Edited by indiana on Wednesday 5th of May 2021 06:20:52 PM

Aberdaberdonian · Club Coach

i know its crazy isn't it. But according to the UEFA website that's the current plan....

UEFA

As you mentioned, UEFA required every potential host to confirm they would be able to host spectators. Those who couldn't (Dublin and Bilbao) were dropped. Most went for 25-30% capacity, but for some reason Hungary went for 100% (perhaps they were scared they would lose their games??). It could be they plan to walk back on that commitment in the run up to the games, but i can't imagine that would go down well with the men in suits.

Maybe its the cynic in me, but it seems far more plausible that they couldn't come up with the prize money for the BJK cup finals and needed a way to back out.

dodrade · Satellite level

Ace Ventura wrote:
The LTA were all over Billie Jean King in the lead up to the Mexico tie. I'd love it if the UK ended up somehow hosting it, and GB took over the host spot from Hungary, but whatever happens, I hope Hungary don't get to compete now. Fair enough if they were hosting it, but if not, they bring very little to the player - no current top 100 players (singles anyway), not too many top 250 either, and have been in the lower reaches for a while, and were just given their spot by hosting it, thus promoted a few levels.

Somewhere like Czech Rep or Spain would be decent among the countries already involved, USA even, but I hope they get something sorted soon.

How big a venue would be needed? Presumably something larger than the Copper Box?

RedSquirrel · Satellite level

Aberdaberdonian wrote:

JonH comes home wrote:
Its been moved because of Covid, Hungary said it couldnt host and as
It has the highest morbidity level in the world , cant say I disagree. Czechia 2nd , so not sure it would be a sensible option?
This seems a bit of a strange argument from Hungary, because if i am not mistaken they are still a host city for the Euro 2020 which is happening this summer. And by all accounts they have committed to a full capacity stadium of ca 67,000.
So footie in June, with 3 group games and a last 16 match means potentially 260,000 fans across the 4 games which they believe they can manage, but tennis (in November?) with a 12,500 stadium capacity is too risky. Hmmm....seems a tad fishy.

I think something may have been lost in translation. A more plausible explanation would be that they weren't able to hold in on the planned date on safety grounds and the arena has no other suitable dates available this year. There isn't any space in the tennis calendar to hold it before the US Open and looking at the Arena's events there isn't a gap big enough after the USO to hold a week long event plus the days needed to set up and make available for practice.

GAMEOVER · Satellite level

The Billie Jean King Cup has got no publicity in this country apart from an interview with David Haggerty(President of the ITF) in the Telegraph which mainly related to Emma. Many of the top players are missing and sometimes teams contain players who would not get into main GS draws. However my attention was drawn to the tie when Slovakia (who stopped us playing in Prague ) beat a decidedly understrength US team. Playing in the doubles for Slovakia was Tereza Mihailova. This was the player who defeated Katie Swan to win the 2015 Australian Junior Championships. She's never reached the top 300 in singles but is near the top 100 in doubles.