The Billie Jean King Cup (or “BJK Cup”) is a team tennis tournament on the WTA Tour that was up until 2020 known as the Fed Cup.
Unlike other tournaments on the Women’s Tour, players play for their countries rather than for themselves with the format of the competition being similar to the Davis Cup on the Men’s tour.
The first BJK Cup tournament was played in 1963 with the United States beating Australia 2-1 in the final.
The 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Finals
| Location: | Seville, Spain |
| Dates: | 7th to the 12th of November 2023 |
| Teams: | 12 Countries |
| Prize Money: | $7,995,000 (2022) |
Dates
The qualifiers for the 2023 finals took place on the 14th and 15th of April 2023 and saw Austria, Belgium, Brazil, France, Italy, United States, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Germany, Kazakhstan, Poland, Slovenia, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Slovakia, Great Britain, and Romania fighting for a place in the finals in November.
The 2023 BJK Finals will take place from the 7th to the 14th of November 2023 in Seville, Spain.
See you in Seville! 🇪🇸☀️
— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) May 10, 2023
The 2023 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals will be held in Seville 7-12 November 🔒#BJKCup pic.twitter.com/Qmy0x31kx4
The 2022 Finals were played at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, with the 2022 tournament being played in the same week as the WTA 125 tournament in Chile, the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, and the Knoxville Challenger in Tennessee.
Tickets
Ticket information for the 2023 tournament is available on the tournament’s official website.
Teams
The following 18 teams played in the qualifiers in 2023.
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brazil
- France
- Italy
- United States
- Czech Republic
- Ukraine
- Germany
- Kazakhstan
- Poland
- Slovenia
- Canada
- Mexico
- Spain
- Slovakia
- Great Britain
- Romania
The 2022 finalists (Switzerland and Australia) qualify automatically for the 2023 finals in November.
Groups
The groups for the 2023 tournament will be decided following the qualifying matches in April.
In 2022, the 12 qualifying nations for the finals were split into the following 4 groups of 3, with the winner of each group claiming a spot in the BJK semifinals.
Group A
- Switzerland
- Canada
- Italy
Group B
- Australia
- Slovakia
- Belgium
Group C
- Great Britain
- Spain
- Kazakhstan
Group D
- The Czech Republic
- USA
- Poland
The winners of Group A (Switzerland) faced the winner of Group C (Great Britain) in the semifinals, while the winners of Group B (Australia) will face the winner of Group D (Czech Republic) in the semifinals.
In the semifinals, Switzerland beat the Czech Republic 2-0, while Australia beat Great Britain 2-1.
In the final, Jil Teichmann and Belinda Bencic both won their singles matches to give Switzerland a 2-0 win over Australia.
Schedule
NB: The schedule for the 2023 finals has yet to be released.
Below is the schedule of matches for the 2022 BJK finals with the group stage matches being played from the 8th to the 11th of November, the semifinals on the 12th of November, and the final on the 13th of November.
| Day | Date | Center Court | Court 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday – Day 1 | 8 November 2022 | Australia vs Slovakia (10:00 am) and Kazakhstan vs Great Britain (NB 4:00 pm) | N/A |
| Wednesday – Day 2 | 9 November 2022 | Switzerland vs Italy (10:00 am) and The USA vs Poland (NB 4:00 pm) | Belgium vs Slovakia (10:00 am) and Spain vs Kazakhstan (NB 4:00 pm) |
| Thursday – Day 3 | 10 November 2022 | Australia vs Belgium (10:00 am) and Spain vs Great Britain (NB 4:00 pm) | Italy vs Canada (10:00 am) and Czech Republic vs Poland (NB 4:00 pm) |
| Friday – Day 4 | 11 November 2022 | Switzerland vs Canada (11:02 am) and Czech Republic vs USA (NB 4:30 pm) | N/A |
| Saturday – Day 5 | 12 November 2022 | Semifinal 1 (10:00 am) and Semifinal 2 (NB 4:00 pm) | N/A |
| Sunday – Day 6 | 13 November 2022 | Final (2:00 pm) | N/A |
NB: Please note that all the times detailed above are in UK local time (GMT).
Prize Money
Information in relation to the prize money for the 2023 BJK finals has yet to be released but below is a breakdown of the prize money that was awarded to players for the 2022 tournament.
The total prize money for the 2022 BJK finals was $11,400,000 with $7,995,000 being paid out to players and $3,405,000 being paid to national associations.
| Performance | Per Team* | # | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winners | $2,197,500 | x1 | $2,197,500 |
| Runner Up | $1,447,500 | x1 | $1,447,500 |
| Semifinalists | $1,072,500 | x2 | $2,145,000 |
| Group Stage (5th-8th) | $288,750 | x4 | $1,155,000 |
| Group Stage (9th-12th) | $262,500 | x4 | $1,050,000 |
| Total | $7,995,000 |
*Prize money was divided among all members of the team, with a max of five players being allowed per team.
The rise in earnings for the players at the 2022 BJK finals was mainly due to a sponsorship deal with Gainbridge that saw BJK Cup players get paid the same as male players in the Davis Cup for the first time in 2022.
Past Winners and Runner Ups
The USA is the most successful BJK/Fed Cup team as they have won a record 18 titles and have finished runner-up 12 times.
The most recent champions were Switzerland who beat Australia 2-0 in the 2022 finals at the Emirates Arena, in Glasgow, Scotland.
Below is a list of winners and runner-ups from 1963 to 2022.
| Year | Winner | Runner Up | Score in Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Switzerland | Australia (or “AU”) | 2-0 |
| 2020/2021 | Russia | Switzerland | 2–0 |
| 2019 | France | AU | 3–2 |
| 2018 | Czech Republic (or “CZ”) | USA | 3–0 |
| 2017 | United States | Belarus | 3–2 |
| 2016 | CZ | France | 3–2 |
| 2015 | CZ | Russia | 3–2 |
| 2014 | CZ | Germany | 3–1 |
| 2013 | Italy | Russia | 4–0 |
| 2012 | CZ | Serbia | 3–1 |
| 2011 | CZ | Russia | 3–2 |
| 2010 | Italy | USA | 3–1 |
| 2009 | Italy | USA | 4–0 |
| 2008 | Russia | Spain | 4–0 |
| 2007 | Russia | Italy | 4–0 |
| 2006 | Italy | Belgium | 3–2 |
| 2005 | Russia | France | 3–2 |
| 2004 | Russia | France | 3–2 |
| 2003 | France | USA | 4–1 |
| 2002 | Slovakia | Spain | 3–1 |
| 2001 | Belgium | Russia | 2–1 |
| 2000 | United States | Spain | 5–0 |
| 1999 | United States | Russia | 4–1 |
| 1998 | Spain | Switzerland | 3–2 |
| 1997 | France | Netherlands | 4–1 |
| 1996 | United States | Spain | 5–0 |
| 1995 | Spain | USA | 3–2 |
| 1994 | Spain | USA | 3–0 |
| 1993 | Spain | AU | 3–0 |
| 1992 | Germany | Spain | 2–1 |
| 1991 | Spain | USA | 2–1 |
| 1990 | United States | Russia | 2–1 |
| 1989 | United States | Spain | 3–0 |
| 1988 | CZ | Russia | 2–1 |
| 1987 | Germany | USA | 2–1 |
| 1986 | United States | CzechRepublic | 3–0 |
| 1985 | CZ | USA | 2–1 |
| 1984 | CZ | AU | 2–1 |
| 1983 | CZ | Germany | 2–1 |
| 1982 | United States | Germany | 3–0 |
| 1981 | USA | Great Britain | 3–0 |
| 1980 | USA | AU | 3–0 |
| 1979 | USA | AU | 3–0 |
| 1978 | USA | AU | 2–1 |
| 1977 | USA | AU | 2–1 |
| 1976 | USA | AU | 2–1 |
| 1975 | Czech Republic | AU | 3–0 |
| 1974 | AU | USA | 2–1 |
| 1973 | AU | South Africa | 3–0 |
| 1972 | South Africa | Great Britain | 2–1 |
| 1971 | AU | Great Britain | 3–0 |
| 1970 | AU | Germany | 3–0 |
| 1969 | USA | AU | 2–1 |
| 1968 | AU | Netherlands | 3–0 |
| 1967 | USA | Great Britain | 2–0 |
| 1966 | USA | Germany | 3–0 |
| 1965 | AU | USA | 2–1 |
| 1964 | AU | USA | 2–1 |
| 1963 | USA | AU | 2–1 |
FAQ
Where was the 2022 Billie Jean Cup held?
The host nation for the 2022 tournament was Great Britain with matches being played at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland.
Who won the Billie Jean King Cup in 2021?
The winners of the 2021 tournament were Russia after they beat Switzerland in the final 2-0.
Is the BJK Cup the same as the Fed Cup?
Yes, the Fed Cup was renamed the Billie Jean King Cup in 2020.
Who played in the BJK Cup in 2022?
Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States have all qualified for the 2022 tournament so the top female players from each of these countries are expected to participate.