World tennis chiefs on Thursday approved a radical Davis Cup revamp that will overhaul the 118-year-old competition, condensing the annual worldwide showpiece into an 18-team, week-long event.
The shake-up for the men’s team tournament received 71.43% support from about 120 delegates at the International Tennis Federation annual meeting in Orlando, well ahead of the two-thirds majority needed for approval.
While ITF officials and prospective organisers were thrilled at the prospect, tennis players on Twitter termed it a loss of history while some even bemoaned the death of the Davis Cup.
“There are no good guys and bad guys. We all have to come together. We all want what’s best for tennis and the Davis Cup.”
– ITF president David Haggerty
“I think Davis Cup has untapped potential. We had to bring this competition again to the top of the tennis world. This is what we expect.”
– Barcelona football star Gerard Pique who leads the Kosmos investment group which is financing the new-look tournament.
“Even Cincinnati mourns the ridiculous decision of @ITF_Tennis. The Davis Cup is dead and part of the history of our sport vanishes for a fistful of dollars.”
– French player Nicolas Mahut on Twitter
“Very disappointing to hear that the new Davis Cup proposal was passed today. Yes the Davis Cup needed some changes but this I don’t believe is the right formula. I will miss Home and Away ties and many more aspects of the Davis Cup.”
– Britain’s former US Open runner-up Greg Rusedski
“Let us remember #DwightFDavis for all The Great #Daviscup memories! Today we have lost 118 years of tennis history.”
– Top coach Sven Groeneveld
“Today is a black day for the Davis Cup. Something with an immense tradition has been lost and it will never be the same again.”
– Czech Davis Cup team
“This is terrible, I’m not in favour of this. I’m sorry... Maybe Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray will quit in three or four years and none of them will play. And we may say it’s because of them the system has changed. It’s strange.”
– 1973 Wimbledon champion Jan Kodes quoted by Czech News Agency (CTK)
“Sadly, the discussion in the last few days was mainly about money and not about the sport.”
– German tennis federation’s Ulrich Klaus
“I always played tennis because it is my passion. Yes many players can make a good living from it. So do I. However it is not the reason why I started. It has always been an honour to represent my country but now a beautiful event only became about money.”
– Dutch player Robin Haase
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