ITF

BILLIE JEAN KING CUP FINALS ITF World Winter 2022/23 27 2023 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Qualifiers at a glance 14-15 April Spain v Mexico Marbella, Spain (outdoors, clay) Canada v Belgium Vancouver, Canada (indoors, hard) Slovakia v Italy Bratislava, Slovakia (indoors, hard) Kazakhstan v Poland Astana, Kazakhstan (indoors, clay) Germany v Brazil Stuttgart, Germany (indoors, clay) USA v Austria Venue to be confirmed Ukraine v Czech Republic Venue to be confirmed Great Britain v France Venue to be confirmed Slovenia v Romania Venue to be confirmed History made in 2022 The creation of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and the expansion of the elite tier of the competition to 12 nations was a crucial part of the event's rebrand and rename in honour of Billie Jean King in 2020. In line with the lifelong mission of the woman for whom the competition is now named, the goal was to enable more countries and players to compete for the top prize, providing more opportunities for women players and raising the stakes for competitors and fans alike. Across the whole competition, a record 110 nations took part in the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge. A record 572 women players were selected to represent their countries. In 2023, the event will celebrate its 60 birthday by smashing that record again – a staggering 134 nations have entered the women's World Cup of Tennis this year. Significant milestones were reached in several areas in 2022. While many new players and nations took part on court, fans in a record 196 territories were able to follow the Billie Jean King Cup Finals on TV. The Swiss players received a record $2 million in prize money for their triumph, the highest amount paid to the winning team in the competition's history, as part of an overall offer for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals that ensured player prize money received by its female players was equivalent to that given to the men in the Davis Cup Finals. These prize money levels were made possible by the ITF's partnership with Gainbridge, who were announced as the new title sponsor of Billie Jean King Cup last September. A record total prize money pot of $11.4 million was on offer at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals – $8 million went direct to the players, and $3.4 million was awarded to the competing national associations for the benefit of tennis in their countries. Gainbridge Insurance Agency is part of Group 1001, a company with a commitment to driving positive change in communities and investing in partnerships that create equal opportunities for all. Their six-year partnership runs until 2027, and will also provide further support for the ITF's Advantage All programme and its mission to ensure tennis is an equal advantage sport for everyone, both on and off court. Adding to existing partnerships with Microsoft and Magellan, Tory Burch also joined the family of Billie Jean King Cup partners in 2022. The fashion label came on board as the official outfitter to Billie Jean King Cup, and initiated another historic first when they presented exclusive winners' jackets to the victorious Swiss team at the Finals – it was the first time a winner's jacket had been presented in women's pro sport. The distinctive 'Billie Blue' jackets were swiftly adopted by the winning team of Bencic, Teichmann, Victorija Golubic and Simona Waltert – as well as by Guenthardt – as they savoured their hard-won victory. n Read all the latest news at billiejeankingcup.com C L I C K H E R E FO R M O R E

• Cover