CHENNAI: “Five best-of-three-set matches held over two days? You cannot be serious!” One can almost envision John McEnroe, a five-time Davis Cup winner, blowing his fuse if someone told him the premier team competition in tennis could undergo such an overhaul.
In reality, however, McEnroe is quite flexible when it comes to change. Last year, he suggested that men could play best-of-three at Grand Slams in the future.
That isn’t happening just yet but the ITF’s board of directors met in Indian Wells on Wednesday, to unanimously endorse comprehensive reforms for Davis Cup. If all goes well at the annual general meeting in Ho Chi Minh City in August, the 2018 season could be the first to witness the truncated format. The Famous Five (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka) have all won the event at least once.
The ITF claims to have taken the step after consulting top ATP players and taking stock of the situation. “These changes are being considered because it’s what the players want. Another point is long matches stretch TV timings and commitments, which mean more expense on time slots. Taking that into consideration, the ITF needs stars to ensure a return on investment,” a source in the know told Express.
Finding a balance between tradition and modernity is tricky, but both sides usually have some good arguments to make. There’s no doubt best-of-five is one of the sport’s finest creations but the same can also be said of the tie-break and Hawkeye.
Because India isn’t even in the World Group presently, it’s easy to forget the country has appeared in three Davis Cup finals. Nevertheless, Ramanathan Krishnan and Jaidip Mukerjea, who lost to Australia in the 1966 final, can’t see eye to eye with regard to the proposed changes.
“It’s a good idea because all ATP events are contested over three sets. Fans are involved because it’s a contest between nations. Reducing it to three sets and two days is not going to upset them. In fact, the shorter duration could attract more spectators,” Krishnan opined.
“Best-of-five remains the ultimate test of endurance and ability. Why don’t national federations make it compulsory for top players to make a certain number of appearances? Tailoring it to suit them would set a wrong precedent,” Mukerjea countered.
Even Anand and Vijay Amritraj, who made it to the 1974 and 1987 finals against South Africa and Sweden respectively, differ over what’s required.
“The format is perfect the way it is. A Davis Cup match should be a fitness contest, not a walk in the park! Best-of-three? Even a 64-year-old like me can play one! Maybe the event could be held once every two years, like the Ryder Cup in golf,” Anand stated.
“The move evens the field because three-setters give the worse player a better chance to win because it’s hard to maintain a high standard over five. Yet, the top four-five guys help sell the sport and Davis Cup needs them to play every year,” Vijay felt.
Point of views aside, is it justified to neuter a historically significant event that has featured only best-of-five for 117 years? Would Federer’s win over Nadal in the Australian Open final been as legendary if it came in two or three sets? The epic happens when the best athletes battle each other in the most challenging format. That’s five sets, not three.
rohan@newindianexpress.com