Novak Djokovic has urged the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to sit down with players and discuss the future of the Davis Cup amid concerns about its current structure.
The world No.1 says it is vital that actions are taken to protect the historic team competition which started in 1900. in recent years the Davis Cup has undergone significant changes after Kosmos went into partnership with the ITF to relaunch the competition back in 2018 which resulted in the removal of home and away ties. At the time, this deal was meant to last 25 years but it was terminated in January this year with a legal dispute between the two parties still ongoing.
Earlier this week Stan Wawrinka expressed his frustration about the attendance of his country’s tie against France in Glasgow with there being plenty of empty tweets. On Twitter, he posted a video of the venue with one of those tagged in the post being Gerald Pique, founder of Kosmos. Pique defended his organisation by saying attendance of the group stages last year attracted more than 113,000 ticket sales. Then when challenged by Wawrinka why Kosmos’ deal came to a premature end if it was so successful, Pique wrote in response ‘We still don’t know..let’s see what the judge says.’
Now weighing in on the topic, Djokovic has called for there to be an overhaul of the team event and has accused the ITF of ‘never consulting’ with players about changes being made to the event.
“The format needs an overhaul, of course, but not being in the ITF I can’t tell you what’s going on,” the 24-time Grand Slam winner told reporters on Thursday.
“I hope they consult the players for the change because they never consult us. I think players should participate much more in these types of changes, we all have to sit down together and talk about the future. If the ITF doesn’t do things right, I honestly don’t know what will happen to this tournament.’
“For the sake of tennis and its history, this competition must survive, because it is the longest-running team competition we have. There is nothing more important than representing your country, so we’ll see how they redefine the format.”
Pique, who is a former professional footballer who played for Manchester United and Barcelona FC, has been accused by some of trying to destroy the tournament. However, Djokovic has jumped to the Spaniard’s defence by saying the ITF should be getting the criticism instead. When Kosmos’ deal came into effect, it was only able to do so after receiving approval from a vote that took place during the ITF’s 2018 AGM meeting.
“I don’t think it’s Piqué’s fault, so I’m not going to criticize him,” said Djokovic. “I think that the ITF is the one who makes that last decision, the one they made five years ago to modify the format.’
“He joined the Kosmos Group because they saw an opportunity to grow, but I don’t see anyone complaining to the ITF. The format generates various opinions, some in favour and others against, but five years ago everyone was betting on a change of format, everyone agreed that the old format needed a change.’
“Now it’s time to find that balance with a format that works. The first year, in 2019, everyone played in Madrid, leaving 99% of countries without the possibility of playing at home. Serbia, for example, has not played a home qualifier for 4-5 years, it is too long for us, a long time without letting the Serbs see their players.”
This year’s Davis Cup qualifiers took place in February with 12 teams qualifying for the Davis Cup finals alongside the two 2022 finalists and two wildcards. The finals are taking place this week with 16 teams being split into four groups being held at four different locations around Europe. The two top of each group will then qualify for the knock-out stage of the Davis Cup Finals which will take place in Malaga between 21-26 November.
Djokovic’s Serbia are in the same group as South Korea, the Czech Republic and hosts Spain.
“I have had many experiences in my career with this competition, so my desire is to contribute in the best way possible, even knowing that I will barely have time to adapt after the US Open,” said Djokovic.
“At the beginning of the season, I said it very clearly, that this year my main objectives were the Grand Slam and defending the colours of my country, helping them to be in the final in Malaga.”
Serbia has only won the Davis Cup trophy once which was in 2010.
