Gerard Pique says he is “pessimistic” over the staging of the 2020 Davis Cup Finals as hosting the tournament without spectators will be “difficult”.

Tennis is not scheduled to return until mid-July at the earliest, but world No 2 Rafael Nadal has expressed his doubts over whether or not there will be any action during the remainder of 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The inaugural edition in Madrid last year, won by Spain, was the first to be held in one city and the competition is also scheduled to take place in the Spanish capital in November.

Barcelona defender Pique, whose investment group Kosmos transformed the sport’s flagship team event into a week-long competition, told Spanish television network Movistar: “I’m a bit pessimistic, to have the Davis Cup without fans is difficult.

“There is a lot of uncertainty. We are listening to what the sport’s ministry and the government are telling us about whether we’ll be able to have fans in the stadium.

“There are different opinions and no one is sure if we’ll be able to have fans or if it’ll have to be behind closed doors.”

Pique said Spain’s strict lockdown has made it harder to make preparations for the event, although he said his team were continuing to work on making it happen if the government decides to allow spectators at sporting events.

“I think in the next few weeks we’ll have more clarity but right now we’re trying to be prepared,” he added.

By DOMENICO DRAGONE

iGaming expert - with over 10 years of experience in the retail market in Italy and knowledge of global online gaming. In the past he has worked with the largest national gambling companies and he managed some land-based shops on their behalf. Entrepreneur, investor and enthusiast of difficult challenges, in 2015 he founded The Betting Coach Group, an international news and social marketing agency geared towards sports, esports and gambling companies. He is currently the C.E.O of The Betting Coach and is a consultant for Loginbet.it Mr. Dragone collaborates with providers (game developers) and event organizers with the aim of helping them develop networks and business across continents. Passionate about journalism, he is the creator and promoter of iGaming Cafè, the first talk show in Italy, dedicated to companies and delegates from the gaming world.