No Major Changes Planned For Davis Cup

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 14th November 2013

Serbia vs Czech Republic tennis Davis cup final draw

No Major Changes Planned For Davis Cup

epa03949512 Czech Republic Davis cup team (from L-R): Jan Hajek, Lukas Rosol, Radek Stepanek, team captain Vladimir Safarik and Tomas Berdych pose for a photo during the draw ceremony for the Davis Cup final in Belgrade, Serbia, 14 November 2013. Serbia will play against Czech Republic in the Davis Cup World Group finals from 15 until 17 November in Belgrade. EPA/ANDREJ CUKIC |

Critics of the Davis Cup maintain the 113 year-old competition has long been in dire need of an overhaul. Nobody denies it is the world’s largest annual international team competition in sport but too often top players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray make themselves unavailable for national service and the format is often too problematical for the general public to understand.

The International Tennis Federation is not oblivious to the criticism. For several years tennis luminaries such as Cliff Drysdale and Butch Buchholz have been championing an alternate format and there have been numerous calls for the competition to become biennial.

However the ITF has always adopted a stubborn attitude to such suggestions and once again the body’s president Francesco Ricci Bitti has maintained widespread reform is not on the agenda.

Ricci Bitti is in Belgrade for this year’s final between Serbia and defending champions the Czech Republic. And the Italian insisted: “We do our best to improve and to listen, but what we are not prepared to breach is our principles: home and away ties, nomination [choice of venue] by the [home] country, and the yearly competition.

“People talk about playing every two years, but it’s a very naive idea. The tennis calendar is an annual calendar, so if you change one year, you have to adjust again.”

Another regular call is for the ITF to play the entire World Group knock out, between the top 16 teams, in a concerted two weeks of competition at one pre-determined venue, in the mode of soccer’s World Cup.

The ITF did try to do that with the women’s Fed Cup but the experiment was not viewed as a success. “We had a very negative experience,” said Ricci Bitti. “If the home country is not in, or loses in the first round, then the interest goes down – not only in that country, but everywhere in the world, so we have to think very, very, very carefully.”

However one potential change that might appeal to the ITF is reducing some of the rubbers from best of five to best of three sets. “I would not exclude it,” concluded Ricci Bitti. “Look at the evolution of the game.

“This, honestly, is under consideration by us – perhaps not for the final or for the semi-final, but it could happen one day. If you consider the demands of tennis on the player, this is one of the things that is under consideration.”

Editors Note :

It is the opininion here at 10sballs.com that the format for Davis Cup be modified. We strongly believe that the “challenge ” formula works best. It’s very simple. Ready. The winning team is already in the finals for the next year. They’ve won and they just wait for everyone else to duke it out and play them at the end of the year. … Maybe the general global population and Mr. Bitti don’t realize the pain and suffering it takes to win the Davis Cup to only have to start “defending it ” and playing for it again in 6 -8weeks ? It’s heartbreaking all around. It’s physically terrible and mentally worse.

Topics: 10sballs.com, Andy Murray, cliff drysdale, Davis Cup, Francesco Ricci Bitti, Itf, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Tennis, Tennis News