TENNIS in DEPTH.

The large cloud of volcanic ash that has swept across much of Europe during the last week has played havoc with the world’s sporting calendar, with events far and wide having to be cancelled or rescheduled.

With only a few days to go before the Fed Cup season gets back under way, however, the opinion of the teams is that the ‘show will go on’.

The extraordinary efforts of those involved – from players and captains to fans and officials – have been nothing short of astonishing, as they’ve used any mode of transport available to reach their destinations.

Take the Estonians, for example. Rene Busch’s players started their journey to Hasselt, where they face Belgium, by catching a ferry from Tallinn to Stockholm, which was then followed by a massive 1,500km drive via Brussels.

Jelena Jankovic, meanwhile, has been marooned in Florida, but stated on her official website that, if necessary, she would take a submarine back to Belgrade for Serbia’s play-off tie against Slovak Republic. Fortunately, she has since booked a flight, so the underwater option won’t be necessary!

So far, the only rescheduling has come in the World Group II Play-offs. The tie between Sweden and China has been delayed by one day, due to the late arrival of the Chinese players, while the Saturday start time at the Slovenia v Japan tie has been put back by four hours.

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