2002 Davis Cup draw postponed

The draw for the 2002 Davis Cup has been postponed by two weeks until October 18, the International Tennis Federation said in a statement on Wednesday.

The decision was made following last week's attacks on the United States, which forced the postponement of the World Group Qualifying Round tie between the U.S. and India to October 12-14.

"The ITF felt it was necessary to reschedule the draw," ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said.

"If we had decided to go ahead with the draw on October 4 as we had planned, it would have been necessary to do two scenarios each for the World Group, American Zone Group 1 and Asia/Oceania Zone Group 1."

The two 2001 Davis Cup semifinals, Australia against Sweden and The Netherlands against France, and seven of the eight World Group Qualifying round ties will go ahead this weekend as scheduled.

"Like the rest of the world, we were saddened by the terrible tragedy in the United States," Ricci Bitti said. "But Davis Cup is a competition whose aim is to foster understanding among nations through tennis and we feel that we are making a contribution to that goal by continuing to play as normal."

The draw for the 2002 competition will take place on October 18 in Zurich, Switzerland.

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