TENNIS ACT have confirmed they will bid to host the Davis Cup tie scheduled for March 4-6, 2016. The draw was conducted overnight in Santiago, Chile, with Australia drawn to face the USA in a home tie.
The bid follows the recent $10.5 million redevelopment of the Canberra Tennis Centre.
“It is great that Australia has been drawn a home tie and against such a quality team like the USA, which along with Australia has an outstanding Davis Cup history,” said Tennis ACT CEO, Ross Triffitt.
We have just officially opened the Canberra Tennis Centre in July and to have the opportunity to bid for a tie so soon is very exciting. We will be working very closely with Tennis Australia and the ACT government to do everything we can to bring the tie to Canberra.
While it is unknown at this stage what surface the tie will be played on, Triffitt says Tennis ACT is preparing for multiple options. “We are well placed to host a tie on plexipave which is the surface of the main show court, however we have also been exploring the option of installing a drop in grass court. One of the key elements in the redevelopment of the Canberra Tennis Centre, was designing the facility to maximise community participation, while also having the ability to host events such as the Davis Cup.
With Canberran, Nick Kyrgios, expected to be in contention for Davis Cup selection, it is anticipated the tie would create a great atmosphere in Canberra.
“The possibility of also having our own Nick Kyrgios line up on his home court would create quite a buzz. With such a high quality first round, it is likely we will be competing with Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. We definitely have all the infrastructure here in Canberra – fantastic airport, great hotels and restaurants, along with a fantastic tennis facility,” Ross said.
Tennis Australia will issue an expression of interest in the next 24 hours to all state tennis associations.
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