Dubai: The draw for the 2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas will be among the highlights during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in Dubai, next month.
With all the Davis Cup play-off ties of the 2014 edition concluding on September 14, top officials from the ITF will be in attendance at the draw ceremony the following week.
They will decide who meets who in the first round of the 2015 edition, at the Madinat Jumeirah Hotel, on September 18.
The two semi-finals of the World Group will see the Czech Republic travel to France in search of their third consecutive Davis Cup by BNP Paribas crown, while Switzerland will host Italy from September 12 to 14. The final of the Davis Cup 2014 will be played from November 21 to 23.
With the AGM being held in Dubai, the ITF decided to use the occasion to conduct the draw for the 2015 edition at the end of the meeting on September 18.
Francesco Ricci Bitti, ITF president, said: “The opportunity to hold the draw for Davis Cup by BNP Paribas during our Annual General Meeting in Dubai allows our member nations to participate in this important occasion that affects them directly. The fact that the draw will be live streamed for the second year gives players, fans and media from all over the world the chance to see which teams will face each other in 2015.”
Scheduled to be held from September 16 to 18 under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the annual meeting of the ITF will bring together top officials from the world of tennis from across the world.
The ITF’s AGM is a major event in the international tennis calendar and is attended by delegates from member nations of the world governing body. So far, nearly 200 delegates from member nations have confirmed their participation.
The hosting of such an important meeting falls within the strategy and thinking of the Dubai Government at large and the Dubai Sports Council, in particular. Besides deliberating several issues at the meeting, the delegates will also have an opportunity to see the culture and heritage of the UAE.
Backed by Tennis Emirates, the Ministry of Interior, Dubai Sports Council, General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare, Road and Transport Authority, Dubai Convention Bureau, among others, this is the very first time that the ITF will host its AGM in West Asia and the Arab world following its grand centenary celebrations held in Paris in 2013.
