Billie Jean King Reflects on Glorious History and Looks to Future of Tennis

Billie Jean King, who at almost 80 years old is still able to pick up the racket and volley with great style, rewinds three decades and remembers: “Every time we played against Spain and I was the captain of the United States, we lost; In fact, we lost many games because Arantxa and Conchita were there. Now, by the way, Conchita is the director of our tournament, and that’s why we love her very much…” jokes the iconic legend, referring…

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Billie Jean King, who at almost 80 years old is still able to pick up the racket and volley with great style, rewinds three decades and remembers: “Every time we played against Spain and I was the captain of the United States, we lost; In fact, we lost many games because Arantxa and Conchita were there. Now, by the way, Conchita is the director of our tournament, and that’s why we love her very much…” jokes the iconic legend, referring to those glorious nineties in which the Spanish team of the then Fed Cup American mastodon and translated his bets into titles: 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1998. Five in total, only one less than those obtained so far in the Davis Cup, the male equivalent.

You have to go back 25 years and mentally travel to the Palexpo Hall in Geneva to find that last achievement, now distant. From there, three lost finals and a painful drought that continues until today in Seville, where the roster cited by Anabel Medina – Sara Sorribes (50th in the world), Rebeka Masarova (65th), Paula Badosa (66th), Cristina Bucsa (83rd) and Marina Bassols – aspires to end aridity. “I always say that in this competition, playing at home or away is very important. Since I have been captain we have played about 14 qualifying rounds, and only three of them have been here,” says the coach, while history says that Spain has not had a result since 2008, when it suffered the defeat of Russia (0-4) in the Villa de Madrid Country Club.

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“It is true that we like to play on dirt, but despite it being a fast court, it is not too fast; It’s a playable surface, and I think that helps us too. With all the public there will be, we hope to go up, enjoy and compete in the best possible way,” says Sara Sorribes, now leader and at the front, given that Paula Badosa had to stop definitively in July – due to a fractured vertebra – and the The break has caused him to drop in the ranking. In any case, the Valencian, Medina and all the members know that the hopes of the Spanish team depend on a good response from the block, on the home factor (two courts, of 4,000 and 1,500 spectators) and on a return in style of the Catalan, injured since May.

“I feel good and eager, and seeing the others training so hard gives me motivation,” says the one from Begur, who since the misfortune with her back until this comeback in La Cartuja has played only a couple of games, the two at Wimbledon. With maximum hunger, but without rhythm, it is a complete unknown. “We are ready to play and give our best, and we have the desire to make one last effort. That Paula is here is exciting,” said Medina, eager to get rid of the bad taste of the last two years, in which her team did not manage to get past the group stage of the Finals; They ran into the United States two years ago and last year there was a collapse against Great Britain in Glasgow.

Slovenia and Czechia strike first

This Wednesday (not before 4:00 p.m., Teledeporte and RTVE Play), Spain will have the opportunity to take the first step. It will be against the Canada of the young Leylah Fernandez, a 21-year-old girl who has won 11 of the 14 matches she has played between singles and doubles; They complete Rebecca Marino (176th), Eugenie Bouchard (273rd), Marina Stakusic (258th) and Gabriela Dabrowski (8th in doubles). Poland, rival on Friday, completes the group and regrets the absence of the recent Masters Cup champion and once again number one, Iga Swiatek. If they prosper, the hosts would face on Saturday in the semifinals against Switzerland (defending champion), Czech Republic (always a bone, with Marketa Vondrousova and Barbora Krejcikova) or the United States (without Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula or Madison Keys).

The first teams from each block – four, with three teams each – will access the penultimate round, and the series will be decided in three matches, two singles and one doubles. To begin with, this Tuesday Slovenia beat the runners-up, Australia (2-1), and the Czech Republic defeated Switzerland (3-0). In any case, the forecast for the tournament – ​​three of the 10 best in the world, with notable absences such as Aryna Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur and Maria Sakkari due to the elimination of their teams in the qualifying phase – is uncertain and appears completely open.

“This competition has shown that, on many occasions, the ranking is left out, so we have to fight for each point as if it were the last,” says Medina, 41 years old and in charge since October 2017. “We can do it very well,” Bucsa says before a historic edition in terms of the distribution of prizes: 9.6 million dollars (8.9 euros), of which 2.4 (2.2) will correspond to the champions. This is a record figure and, in the same vein as last year, it equals the prize distributed in the Davis Cup. The spirit of Billie Jean King, then, remains intact and current. Like her volley.

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2023-11-08 04:15:00
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