Conchita Martinez brings a taste of the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge to Seville ahead of November Finals
Local Seville tennis players were given a unique opportunity to spend time with Conchita Martinez on Wednesday 27 September, as the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals Tournament Director attended a special session at the Real Club Tenis Pineda in Seville.
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Martinez, who won the competition five times during her career, talked through her experience of representing her nation in the women’s World Cup of Tennis on 53 occasions. She also invited 10 local female players to attend the Billie Jean King Cup Finals at La Cartuja Stadium in Seville (7-12 November). |
Martinez said: “I want to bring this event closer to all audiences who follow tennis and women’s sport, and it was fantastic to meet such passionate tennis players and fans today. I am looking forward to seeing them again at the Finals in the beautiful city of Seville, and I’m sure they will enjoy watching some of the world’s best tennis players there in November. Tickets are on sale now so I would encourage all fans to visit Billiejeankingcup.com and book their place in the stands to support their team.”
The Finals will see 12 teams competing to take home the coveted trophy and don the iconic Billie Blue jackets, designed by official Billie Jean King Cup apparel partner Tory Burch. The Billie Jean King Cup is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, having been contested for the first time at the Queen’s Club in London in June 1963.
2022 runners-up Australia will contest the first tie of this year’s event on Tuesday 7 November, with Alicia Molik’s team up against Finals debutants Slovenia. 2023 winners Switzerland begin their campaign later on opening day, taking on 11-time world champions Czechia.
Spain’s Group C ties against Canada and Poland will be played in the evening sessions on Wednesday 8 November and Friday 10 November, respectively. Two match courts will be in use for ties on Thursday 9-Friday 10 November.
Teams will compete in four groups of three during the group stage, with the four group winners advancing to the semi-finals on Saturday 11 November. The final on Sunday 12 November will see the two remaining teams battle to be crowned world champions. The full schedule for the week is available here.
Since its re-brand from Fed Cup in 2020, the Billie Jean King Cup has continued to develop as a bold, powerful platform for the growth of women’s tennis across the world. It was broadcast in an unprecedented 196 territories in 2022, and a record 134 nations have entered this year. Champions Switzerland took home a record $2m for their triumph at the 2022 Finals in Glasgow. The ITF also welcomed new title sponsor Gainbridge and new apparel partner Tory Burch in 2022, joining Microsoft and Magellan as the global sponsors of the event.
The ITF announced a partnership with the Junta de Andalucia earlier this year, which will see the region host multiple ITF major team events in 2023. The Davis Cup Finals will take place in Malaga for a second consecutive year on 21-26 November, while the Davis Cup Juniors Finals (week commencing 30 October) and Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Juniors Finals (week commencing 6 November) will both be hosted in Cordoba.
Today’s event in Seville was also attended by José María Arrabal, General Secretary of Sport, Region of Andalucia.
He said: “Together with the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga and junior Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Cordoba, we can boast that the eyes of tennis fans worldwide are about to be on our community. This brings responsibilities, but also opportunities to promote the Andalucia brand. The impact that these sporting events will generate in our land can be significant.
“The Andalucian Government is committed to women’s sport with events like the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and the many others that we sponsor throughout the year. We also have programmes promoting equality between men and women in sport and encourage the participation of women in Andalucian sports federations. It is also very important for us that the Billie Jean King Cup has achieved the equalization of prize money with respect to the Davis Cup.”
For more information and exciting new content including match action, archive footage and player features visit Billie Jean King Cup website or follow @BJKCup on Twitter, Billie Jean King Cup on Facebook and @billiejeankingcup on Instagram.
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For ITF media enquiries contact:
For Region of Andalucia media enquiries contact:
José Ignacio Soria jisoria@andalucia.org
About the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge
The Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge is the women’s World Cup of Tennis. Previously known as the Fed Cup, it is the largest annual international team competition in women’s sport, with over 110 nations having entered in 2022. The competition was founded in 1963 and is in its 60th year. Since its 2020 re-brand, the competition has continued to develop as a bold, powerful platform for the growth of women’s tennis across the world. It was broadcast in an unprecedented 196 territories in 2022, and a record 134 nations have entered this year. The ITF also welcomed new title sponsor Gainbridge and new apparel partner Tory Burch in 2022, joining Microsoft and Magellan as the global sponsors of the event. Champions Switzerland took home an unprecedented $2m for their triumph at the Finals in Glasgow. Nine home and away Qualifier ties took place 14-15 April, with the nine victorious teams progressing to Finals (7-12 November).
About the ITF
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the world governing body of tennis. Founded in 1913, its purpose is to ensure the long-term growth and sustainability of the sport, delivering tennis for future generations in association with its 213-member National Associations. The ITF oversees the rules and regulations that govern international and national competition. The ITF is responsible for the worldwide development of tennis through its highly regarded global Development Programme, its Science and Technical department which monitors equipment and technology, and its Officiating department which oversees the education and advancement of officials. The ITF organises up to 1,850 men’s, women’s, and junior tournaments on the ITF World Tennis Tour, and manages the ITF junior team competitions, ITF Beach Tennis World Tour, UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour and the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour, together with the men’s and women’s World Cups of Tennis, Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge respectively, the two largest annual international team competitions in tennis. The ITF manages the Olympic Tennis Event on behalf of the IOC and the Paralympic Tennis Event on behalf of the IPC and the Qualification Pathways for both events at the Games. For further information please visit www.itftennis.com.
About the Region of Andalucia
The Region of Andalucia, in its capacity as a European Region of Sport has hosted a number of major international sport events in recent years including the Badminton World Cup, the finals of football’s Spanish King Cup, Spain Sail Grand Prix Andalucia, Solheim Cup and Spanish Grand Prix MotoGP.
The Region of Andalucia is home to the ITF’s 2023 World Cup of Tennis events:
Davis Cup Junior Finals, Cordoba (30 October – 5 November)
Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Junior Finals, Cordoba (6-12 November)
Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals, Seville (7-12 November)
Davis Cup Final 8 – Malaga (21-26 November)
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