Austria, France to play Davis Cup tie in aircraft hangar

Category: Tennis

Publish Date: 12-21-2010 07:00 PM -0500

SCHWECHAT, Austria (AP)—The Austrian Tennis Federation says Austria will play France on a clay court in an aircraft hangar in the first round of the 2011 Davis Cup.

A hangar at Austria’s main airport currently being used for airplane maintenance will be transformed into a 6,000-capacity tennis stadium for the March 4-6 match.

The federation had struggled to find a site since no suitable venue in the Vienna area was available for that week.

Austrian player Jurgen Melzer says he doesn’t think airplane noise will create a disturbance. He said planes fly overhead all the time during the U.S. Open and doesn’t seem to bother the players.

France was beaten by Serbia in the Davis Cup final earlier this month. Austria has not advanced past the first round since 1995.

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