Paris (AFP)
The Fed Cup, the women's counterpart of the Davis Cup, is renamed "Billie Jean King Cup", named after the American champion, ten times victorious in the event, who has largely worked for the recognition of women's tennis, announced Thursday the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
The 2020 edition, which was to show its new format modeled on that of the revamped Davis Cup, has been postponed to spring 2021, from April 13 to 18 in Budapest.
It will be a final phase of one week, bringing together twelve nations, divided into four pools.
France holds the trophy.
Billie Jean King (76) won twelve Grand Slam titles and ten Fed Cups as a player and then captain.
Beyond her record, she is the founder and the first president, in 1973, of the WTA, the association of professional players which now manages the women's circuit.
"The Davis Cup is named after a man (American Dwight Davis, editor's note), so it's only fitting that the Women's Tennis World Cup is named after a woman. she has done for our sport and her tireless efforts to promote equality, I can't think of anyone who deserves it more than Billie Jean King, ”said ITF vice president Katrina Adams in a commentary. press release from the international body.
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