BENGALURU: On August 16, Davis Cup was radically overhauled. Doing away with the 118-year-old history of the tournament, International Tennis Federation (ITF) voted in favour of a “much needed” change. A total of 71 per cent of the 147 countries present — including All India Tennis Association (AITA) — were in favour of the proposal put forward by Kosmos Investment Group, which is investing $3 billion over 25 years.
The new format, which comes into play from next year, has two rounds: a 24-team qualifiers in February with the existing homeand- away system, and an 18-team finals in November at a neutral venue. Twelve teams will progress from the qualifiers, while four semifinalists from the previous edition will get direct entry, along with two wild-card spots. In the new format, traditional fivesetters have made way for three-setters. These drastic changes have met with mixed reactions.
And two-time Davis Cup finalist Vijay Amritraj is not a fan of them. “The best part of Davis Cup has always been home-and-away matches. We are taking that away from the World Group. It’s a big event in that particular city. I don’t think we should agree to take it away from us,” Amritraj said, speaking at the 41st national convention of Sports Journalists Federation of India on Friday. The India tennis great, however, was in favour of “some changes”.
But, he feels that the tinkering is too much, and scheduling of the event at the end of a gruelling schedule will fail to attract elite players. “Some changes were needed, because it finishes in December and they have to start in February. That’s difficult for the World Group. Also, ITF is running short on funds and they need to infuse money to help smaller nations develop tennis. But the cost is high and you can’t ensure that top players will play at the end of a long season.
Also, what happens when the Big Four, who are over 30, retire?” said Amritraj, who also floated the idea of playing the premier tournament once in two years. The proposed change, however, won’t impact the existing schedule of the nations that are not in World Group. Thus, India, who are facing Serbia in a World Group away playoff, will be unaffected if they fail to progress. “It will make a huge difference if India qualify. Playing Davis Cup at home was a huge thing for me, especially in Delhi. We always had the Prime Minister doing the draw. It was a special moment for us. But now it looks like a fait accompli,” Amritraj said.
krishnendu@newindianexpress.com