(Barcelona) American tennis legend Billie Jean King called this week for the creation of a mixed tennis “World Cup” and for players to wear jersey numbers to meet public demands.
The winner of 39 Grand Slam tournaments, including 12 in singles, wishes to bring together the two international competitions for men and women, the Billie Jean King Cup and the Davis Cup, within the same World Cup.
“When I say that we are the Women’s Tennis World Cup, people understand immediately, they know that it is country against country, that it is exciting, that it can be played anywhere in the world …,” the 79-year-old former player declared to the press on Wednesday before the final phase of the competition that bears her name (November 7-12 in Seville).
The American wishes to draw inspiration from the Football World Cup and its global aura: “I attended the World Cup in Australia and I looked at the girls there, there were 75,000 people… It’s very exciting, the possibilities are limitless. »
“I would like us to sit down and try to find a solution so that everyone wins,” she added, believing for example that players should have, like in football, “some numbers on their jerseys” to be more recognizable.
The Fed Cup finals, renamed in honor of Billie Jean King, will be played in Seville, while the Davis Cup final will take place in Malaga from November 21 to 26.
The two competitions will be played in the absence of several stars, including the Polish Iga Swiatek and the Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, who cite an overly busy schedule.