BNP Paribas World Team Cup dates confirmed

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has confirmed the full calendar dates and venues for the 2015 BNP Paribas World Team Cup qualification events, with the finals set to take place for the third time on the clay courts of Club Ali Bey Manavgat on the Turkish Riviera on 25-31 May.

The BNP Paribas World Team Cup, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2015, is the ITF’s flagship wheelchair tennis event, often referred to as the Davis and Fed Cups of wheelchair tennis. The initial event took place in California in 1985 involving six men’s teams. The women’s competition began the following year, with quad and junior events introduced in 1998 and 2000 respectively. Due to the increased number of teams wanting to take part, the ITF introduced regional qualifying for the men’s and women’s events in 2012.

Over 100 teams from around 50 countries will take part in the 2015 competition. Four regional qualifying events will determine the six men’s and four women’s teams to join the direct entries in the finals in Antalya. In Antalya, teams will contest the men’s World Group (12 nations), men’s World Group 2 (12 nations), women’s World Group (12 nations), quad event (8 teams) and junior event (8 teams).

The full list of dates and venues is as follows:

• 26 February-1 March: Africa Qualification - Nairobi Club, Nairobi, Kenya

• 14-17 March: Americas Qualification - Liga de Tenis del Atlantico Club, Barranquilla, Colombia

• 24-28 March: European Qualification - Kaya Belek Resort Hotel, Antalya, Turkey

• 28-31 March: Asian Qualification - Sri Lanka Tennis Association, Colombo, Sri Lanka

• 25-31 May: Finals - Club Ali Bey Manavgat, Antalya, Turkey

Club Ali Bey Manavgat previously staged the World Team Cup in 2010 and 2013. The resort has a long history of hosting major ITF events including the current ITF Super-Seniors World Team and Individual Championships.

BNP Paribas has been the event’s title sponsor since 2012 in a five-year agreement that runs through 2016. The company’s long-term agreement with the ITF also includes sponsorship of Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Junior Davis Cup and Fed Cup, and the biennial Worldwide Coaches Conference and regional coaches workshops.

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “The ITF is delighted that the BNP Paribas World Team Cup will return to Antalya, which staged extremely successful events in 2010 and 2013. This is the most prestigious tournament on the ITF’s wheelchair tennis calendar, and we are pleased to see its continued growth since the introduction of qualifying events.”