Petco Park in San Diego to host 2014 Davis Cup matches

Petco Park, which opened in 2004, hosted the World Baseball Classic final in 2006. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

The first-round matchup of the 2014 Davis Cup between the United States and Britain will be played in Petco Park, the home of the San Diego Padres, from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, according to Christopher Clarey of The New York Times.

These will be the first tennis matches at the stadium, which will have temporary grandstands in left field with a capacity of about 8,000 people.

The matches, which coincide with Super Bowl weekend, will be played on clay — the first time the United States has hosted a series on that surface since 1992 in Minneapolis.

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U.S. captain Jim Courier said the decision to play on clay was a team one, and was made in part because he believes it is Britain's weakest surface. He hopes the novelty will help draw fans.

“We played last year at home against Brazil on Super Bowl week, and it was pretty tough to generate any noise,” Courier said. “I think it’s unfortunate with the timing, but of course this is an international competition, and the Super Bowl is an American affair, as you know. We’ll play them when the [International Tennis Federation] tells us we need to play.”