Calls to return Davis Cup ‘to the people’

Murray Wenzel | January 13, 2023

The International Tennis Federation has been urged to return the Davis Cup format to that of the event’s glory days after pulling the plug on a long-term finance deal.

The ITF on Friday confirmed the death of its Davis Cup partnership with the private investment group fronted by former Barcelona soccer star Gerard Pique, which drastically revamped the storied competition in 2018.

A 25-year deal with Kosmos Tennis was struck in 2018, when a new Davis Cup format was launched in an effort to revitalise the prestigious men’s team event and make it more lucrative.

The tennis body did not provide the details behind the decision but in a statement said it would operate the 2023 competition as scheduled, with the finals in Malaga in November.

Pique, who ended his playing career late last year, became the public face of Kosmos and had pledged the group would invest $US3 billion ($A4.3 billion) in tennis during the 25-year partnership.

“Not sure who would’ve guessed it would end like this ……. (everyone),” American former world No.1 Andy Roddick tweeted. 

The new Davis Cup format means the tournament is now being contested over one week in a World Cup-style format. 

It was previously played with head-to-head confrontations over four weekends throughout the year. 

Australia’s first title came in 1907 and the most recent in 2003. 

Australians embraced the event, with home ties played in rural and city settings creating some of the sport’s most famous moments.

But when Australia reached the final of last year’s competition – losing 2-0 to Canada in Malaga – it barely made waves back at home.

In a statement, the ITF insisted the partnership had “increased participation, prize money and interest in Davis Cup and produced funding to support the global development of our sport”.

Australian world No.148 John Millman mirrored the widespread public sentiment on Friday when he urged the ITF to “give tennis back to the people” and alter the format from 2024.

“ITF has an opportunity to reignite one of sport’s oldest team competitions,” he tweeted. 

“Change the format, find a compromise with players schedules, bring back more home and away ties (especially in latter stages). The sport will always be for the fans.”

Tennis bodies have tinkered with the introduction of other team competitions, with the recent United Cup combining men and women under their country’s flag to play for rankings points for the first time.

Teams were based in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney for the group stage before the champion was crowned in Sydney.

But former world No.2 and long-time Davis Cup spearhead for Sweden Magnus Norman said the home-and-away aspect of the tournament was key to its success.

“I hope Davis Cup will come back to home and away again,” he tweeted. 

“It brought tennis to the most remote places and smaller countries had a chance against bigger nations because of surface … I miss it as a tennis fan.”

– with AP