International tennis officials postpone Fed Cup finals

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United States' Bethanie Mattek-Sands serves as she and Sofia Kenin play Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko and Anastasija Sevastova during the doubles match in a Fed Cup tennis qualifying tie Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020, in Everett, Wash. (Elaine Thompson/AP)

The Fed Cup finals have been postponed indefinitely in response to concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus.

The 12-team women’s tennis tournament was set to be played April 14-19 in Budapest, Hungary. The International Tennis Federation said it still hopes to stage the event in 2020, but did not announce a date.

The Fed Cup serves as a qualifying event for the Olympics and the ITF said it "is working closely with the IOC to address any impact this may have on athlete eligibility" for the Tokyo Games.

All playoff matches between lower-ranked teams, which were set to be played in eight locations around the world, were also postponed.

ITF President David Haggerty said "we are extremely disappointed to have to make this decision, but we will not risk the safety and welfare of players, captains, event staff or spectators."

The Fed Cup finals features a new format this year with 12 teams competing in four groups before a knockout phase. The United States is set to play Spain and Slovakia in Group C.

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