LONDON :Britain’s Davis Cup team are expecting to play their Davis Cup World Group I tie against Poland in Gdynia this weekend despite the country and NATO allies shooting down drones that violated Polish airspace overnight on Tuesday.
It was the first time a member of the Western military alliance is known to have fired shots during Russia’s war in Ukraine and has heightened security fears in Poland.
“We are working closely with the Polish Federation and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), but at present we’re not expecting any impact on the tie,” an LTA spokesman said.
The winner of the tie will qualify for next year’s Final qualifiers.
Following the incident, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament it was “the closest we have been to open conflict since World War Two”, although he also said he had “no reason to believe we’re on the brink of war”.
Poland said 19 objects had entered its airspace during a large Russian air attack on Ukraine, and that it had shot down those that posed a threat.
Moscow denied responsibility for the incident, with a senior diplomat in Poland saying the drones had come from the direction of Ukraine.
