Billie Jean Cup coming to Delray Beach Tennis Center, and Coco Gauff will be playing

After a disappointing showing at the Australian Open, Coco Gauff was back in Delray Beach Friday to announce some better news: The Billie Jean Cup is coming to her hometown.

As first reported by The Palm Beach Post, a qualifier between the United States and Austria — that will include Gauff — will take place at the Delray Beach Tennis Center on April 14-15.

The Billie Jean Cup is the women’s version of the Davis Cup. The international team competition that includes 100 countries changed names from the Federation Cup in 2021 to spike interest. The format is four singles matches and one doubles

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Organizers decided Delray Beach was a natural fit with the 18-year-old Gauff as a centerpiece, giving an early commitment.

"She's a tremendous young lady in every way. as soon as she found out it would be Delray Beach, there was no hesitation," U.S. coach Kathy Rinaldi told The Post. "She's super excited. She's very proud to be one of the leaders for American tennis."

There’s also the potential of having another top-10 player, Jessica Pegula. The daughter of the Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula has lived in Boca Raton for many years and had a breakout 2022.

“It was a really easy choice once we knew Delray Beach was interested," USTA events director Megan Rose said. “Obviously, it was an opportunity for Coco to play in her backyard and commit to the event early and be the showcase.

"Delray Beach is an incredible tennis market," Rose added. "They already have an incredible tennis following with the Delray Beach Open. To bring it to this market is a chance to really use it as a weeklong celebration of American tennis and an opportunity to get new and diverse fans and participants to the sport."

Serena and Venus Williams might be there

And then there are the Williams sisters, who live in Palm Beach Gardens. Serena has recently retired but Venus is still playing.

The Williamses are being courted. Rinaldi, who is a Stuart native and lives in Orlando, has reached out to them. Serena has recently hinted that she may not be completely finished with tennis.

"They're incredible ambassadors," said Rinaldi, the USA coach since 2017. "They've been very supportive and I've been honored to have them for a few of my teams. They just bring so much to the environment."

Rose said they are inviting all former (U.S.) players to this event for a special dinner.

“Those two will get that invitation. We haven’t gotten RSVPs," Rose said. "Obviously, it would be incredible to have them in any capacity. It's definitely being worked on."

There will be nine qualifiers around the world on those dates and the finals will be held in November at an undetermined site. In its 60th year, the U.S. has the most titles at 18.

Then known as the Fed Cup, the Delray Beach Tennis Center hosted a 2013 qualifier when Serena and Venus competed.

Explaining the name change, Rose said Billie Jean King gives the international competition "more recognition as her name permeates throughout our society and culture as a pioneer of women's sports."

Gauff, who ranked sixth but lost in the fourth round of the Aussie Open last month, is considered the bridge to the Williams sisters for American women's tennis. Gauff participated in the Billie Jean Cup finals in Scotland last year when the U.S. lost in the group stage. Pegula backed out of the event but there's hope she will play Delray.

"This is rare (in Coco), we have a player confirmed this early," Rose said. "We usually don't announce the team until 28 days out. We haven't confirmed Pegula, but it would be a huge hope because she's local. A lot of strong ties there."

In addition, two other Floridians could be named to the team in Madison Keys, who has her base in Orlando, and Danielle Collins, who hails from St. Petersburg.

Last year, the qualifier took place in Asheville, N.C., when the U.S. beat Ukraine and garnered $8 million for the local economy, according to officials. That's the reason George Linley, director of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, sought the event. The men's tour has staged the Delray Beach Open tournament for 25 years and that will begin on Feb. 12 with Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Aussie Open semifinalist Tommy Paul and Denis Shapalov as headliners. And now, for the fourth time, the BJK Cup is coming to town with Coco, who still is vying for her first Grand Slam title.

"Coco keeps improving steadily," Rinaldi said. "She wants to do great things and is going to do great things. She's already doing great things."

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Coco Gauff to play Billie Jean Cup qualifyier in Delray Beach, Florida