The Russian Tennis Federation is considering Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Kazan and Moscow as possible venues for the Davis Cup match between Russia and Italy. In Irkutsk, they admit there are still no suitable courts for the match. The venue will be announced soon.

The Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) is considering Irkutsk, as well as Khabarovsk, Kazan, and Moscow, as a venue for the match between the men’s national teams of Russia and Italy in the Davis Cup stage, the R-Sport agency reports. However, as the regional tennis federation said, there are no courts in Irkutsk that would meet all the requirements for hosting matches.
According to the vice president of the Russian Tennis Federation, Yakov Shakhtin, the men’s national team will compete with Italy for a place in the Davis Cup World Group on September 18–20. The Russian side will host the tie, but the venue has not yet been chosen.
"We have several options for where to hold the Russia–Italy match. Khabarovsk, Irkutsk, Kazan, Moscow — these are the main favorites. Active work is underway now. All options are being worked through. The Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation, headed by Vitaly Mutko, is helping us immensely. I admit that without the support of the ministry and Mutko personally, it would have been simply impossible to hold the previous Davis Cup match, Russia–Spain, in Vladivostok. I want to reassure all fans and once again emphasize that thanks to the support provided to us by the Ministry of Sport, there simply cannot be any problems with organizing and holding the Russia–Italy match. In the near future we will name the city that will host this match," Yakov Shakhtin stressed.
As the president of the Irkutsk Region Tennis Federation, Yuri Arsentyev, said, to hold the competition, first of all, an indoor court is needed. And secondly, the sports facility must accommodate several thousand spectators. Irkutsk does not have courts of this level.
- To be honest, we don’t even have courts. One of the conditions is that there must be a hall for several thousand spectators. That is only the Sports Palace. But externally it’s the day before yesterday — foreigners would be shocked. We have outdoor courts, but no indoor ones, - Yuri Arsentyev noted.