Fed Cup is an elite women’s professional tennis tournament that is organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). It is an international team competition that features tennis squads representing their respective countries. These teams compete in the tournament to reach the coveted World Group and eventually, be crowned as the champions. In this article, we will give you the latest Fed Cup 2019 tips & predictions.
The pride of representing your nation comes before anything else and as a result, Fed Cup is known to be a high-profile event. Over the years, the likes of Angelique Kerber, Sloane Stephens, Petra Kvitova, Venus Williams, Garbine Muguruza, Simona Halep, and Karolina Pliskova have participated in the event.
Fed Cup Structure
The best way to understand the Fed Cup format is by looking at the following chart:
· The World Group features eight nations who compete to proceed to the semifinal and eventually, the final to win the trophy. The teams that win their opening rounds in the World Group stay in the same group.
· In World Group Play-offs, the four teams that lose in the first round of the World Group compete against the four teams that top the World Group II, for a place in the following year’s World Group.
· Similarly, the nations which lose the World Group Play-offs start the following season in the World Group II. There, they face the four nations that qualify after winning the World Group II Play-offs. The losers here will begin the following season in the World Group II Play-offs while the winners are promoted to the World Group Play-offs.
· In the World Group II Play-offs, the four losers from World Group II will face four nations from the Zonal groups.
2019 Fed Cup Schedule & Dates:
Considering that Fed Cup is split into multiple groups with several matches taking place simultaneously, the best way to follow it is by following the respective groups.
· World Group: Quarterfinals – 9-10 February, Semifinals – 20-21 April, Final – 9-10 November
· World Group Play-offs: April 20-21
· World Group II: 9-10 February
· World Group II Play-offs: April 20-21
· Zone Group I: 6-10 February
· Zone Group II: 12-24 June
· Zone Group III: To be declared
Player List for 2019 Fed Cup
The World Group of Fed Cup 2019 will feature the following matches in the quarterfinals:
· Czech Republic v Romania
· France v Belgium
· Germany v Belarus
· Australia v United States
As for World Group II, the participating teams are Switzerland, Netherlands, Spain, Slovakia, Italy, Japan, Latvia, and Canada.
With the tournament set to commence in February, we can expect the teams to be decided by January. Many coaches consider several factors like fitness, mindset, form, et cetera to see if a player can be included in the main squad.
Once the player list is updated, we will add the detailed squad for respective teams accordingly.
What Happened at the 2018 Fed Cup?
The 2018 Fed Cup was won by the Czech Republic, who defeated the United States by 3-0 in the final. It was an interesting display by the Czech players, particularly by the 22-year-old Katerina Siniakova. The World No. 31 won two rubbers back to back to give her side an insurmountable lead.
Fed Cup Tickets Here | Fed Cup Live Streaming Here
With that win, the Czech Republic team has essentially cemented its position as the strongest team of the decade. In their eight appearances so far since 2011, the team has won the championship on six occasions. They are now the second-most successful team in the Fed Cup history, trailing right behind the United States.
Germany and France were the semifinalists in 2018, both of whom succumbed respectively to the Czech Republic and the United States. The Germans had a fairly strong squad with the likes of Angelique Kerber and Julia Goerges leading the way, but the Czechs proved to be the better side.
As for France, they faced an uphill task heading into the semis against the U.S team. Nonetheless, the French side put up a good fight and lost that by fixture only by 3-2.
Fed Cup 2019 Betting Tips
The betting tips for the tournament will be added a few days before the tournament begins.
Previous Fed Cup Champions
2010: Italy
2011: Czech Republic
2012: Czech Republic
2013: Italy
2014: Czech Republic
2015: Czech Republic
2016: Czech Republic
2017: United States
2018: Czech Republic