ITF

Eighteen-time champions USA were handed a home tie but will face testing opposition in the form of Latvia after the two nations were paired together during August's draw for the 2020 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Qualifiers. USA and Latvia will meet for the first time in the competition on 7-8 February in a clash which will determine who will progress to the inaugural Fed Cup Finals in Budapest, Hungary. The draw followed the ITF announcement in June, which detailed a new 'World Cup of Tennis' format for Fed Cup, including the staging of the Finals on the clay of the Laszlo Papp Budapest Sports Arena between 2020 and 2022. The new format will see an increase from eight to 20 nations competing each year to become world champions, with 12 nations qualifying for the Fed Cup Finals where they will do battle for a total prize fund of $18m, with $12m going to players and $6m to National Associations. Sixteen nations will compete in the 2020 Qualifiers on a home-and-away basis over five matches to earn one of eight places in the Finals, where they will join the previous year's finalists, Australia and France, host nation Hungary and Czech Republic, who have been handed a wild card. The eight losing nations in the Qualifiers will compete in the 2020 Fed Cup Play-offs, held during the same week as the Finals. Elsewhere in the 2020 Qualifiers draw, Great Britain will hope to continue their impressive Fed Cup form and chalk up a sixth straight win when they travel to Slovakia, while Romania, Netherlands, Brazil, Switzerland, Spain and Belgium have all been handed home ties. Draw made for 2020 Fed Cup Qualifiers a Hall of Famer. The Quebec-born Frenchwoman won the 1995 Australian Open and both the singles and doubles titles at Roland Garros in 2000, making her the last French player to lift a singles trophy on Court Philippe Chatrier. "I've been waiting for this for six months since it was announced in January," added the 44-year-old – also a two-time Fed Cup champion with France. "Tennis has taught me so much in life. It's a great teacher. Anything you want to achieve doesn't come easy. "Dreams are like fuel, and my dream was to one day win the French Open. It was my ultimate dream in tennis and it came true. Winning the doubles with Martina Hingis was like the cherry on top. "I would never be up here if it wasn't for everyone who helped me on this road, on and off the court." Kaflenikov, 45, also triumphed in Melbourne and Paris, winning at Roland Garros in 1996 and the Australian Open in 1999, as well as winning Olympic gold in the singles at Sydney 2000 and the Davis Cup with Russia in 2002. The former world No. 1 also claimed four Grand Slam doubles titles, triumphing at Roland Garros Pierce, Kafelnikov and Li inducted into Hall of Fame ITFWorld // AUTUMN 2019 41 Simona Halep's Romania welcome Russia, Netherlands host Belarus, Spain will go head-to-head with Japan and Canada visit Switzerland. Qualifier ties will consist of four singles matches and one doubles match, with all matches played over the best-of-three tiebreak sets. Two singles matches will be played on Friday 7 February, while the two reverse singles matches and doubles showdown will be contested on Saturday 8 February. The Finals, meanwhile, will feature a round-robin format with four groups of three teams, followed by knockout semi-finals and final. The top two nations will be guaranteed a place in the following year's Finals, while the nations finishing 3rd-10th will contest the following year's Qualifiers. All matches will consist of two singles and one doubles. Two-time Grand Slam singles champions Mary Pierce, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Li Na became the latest members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in June during an induction ceremony in Newport, Rhode Island. "This day has finally arrived," said Pierce, who made no secret of her joy at being recognised as three times before claiming his final major at the 2002 US Open. He paid tribute to the influence of his parents, who were watching the ceremony in Russia. "I felt nothing but love, warmth and care. Mum and Dad, I know you're watching it, I love you so much," he said. "You've been there for me through thick and thin. "I know what it's like and how to be a Hall of Famer, and I will definitely carry that responsibility for the rest of my life." With night setting in, Li Na took to the podium, joking: "I will try to keep my speech, like my name, short." Li, who triumphed at Roland Garros in 2011 and the Australian Open in 2014 while reaching No.2 in the WTA Tour rankings, was introduced by agent Max Eisenbud as "a true pioneer, not just for tennis, not just for women, but for all of China". "This means everything," said the 37-year-old. "My name is Li Na. Li Na is a common name in China. I did not choose this. I started playing tennis when I was eight. My mum chose it for me, and during this time, I hated tennis because during school, I had no time to play with my friends. When the time went by, I really enjoyed this amazing sport. "Tennis has taken me around the world, exploring different countries. In the future, I will do all I can to inspire and help more young and upcoming players in the hope that they can enjoy this sport."

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