Davis Cup Tie in Israel Moved Due to Conflict

A Davis Cup play-off tie set to take place in Israel next month has been moved after the ongoing Gaza conflict. 

Competition organisers, the International Tennis Federation, have ruled that it is “not advisable” for Israel to host Argentina in Tel-Aviv, as planned.

The decision follows the announcement earlier this week by the ATP which saw the cancellation of the planned Israel Open due to similar security concerns.

However, Ukraine will be able to stage their clash with Belgium in Kiev despite ongoing unrest in the east of the country, close to the Russian border.

Israel will now have the option to stage the tie at a neutral venue. If they decline, the ITF will decide to either play the tie on neutral soil or hand home advantage to Argentina.

Juan Margets, chairman of the ITF’s Davis Cup committee, said: “These were difficult decisions for the Davis Cup committee.

“Both countries were eager to host and have a record of staging quality ties. After long deliberation, the committee was convinced that Kiev would provide a safe environment for the tie with Belgium and agreed for it to go ahead as scheduled.

“The decision on Israel versus Argentina was more problematic for the committee because the situation in Israel is very fluid at the moment and yet security in Israel is of an exceptionally high standard.

“Ultimately the outcome rested on the lack of certainty of the situation at the date of the tie, on the decision of other sports not to compete in Israel at this time and on the ITF’s duty to ensure the safety of players, officials and spectators.”

Both ties are scheduled to take place on September 12-14 with the winners earning the right to play in next year’s elite World Group.