ITF have announced changes to the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup formats which means some of the old Davis Cup will be returning.
It’s been no secret that the new Davis Cup format has gone down like a led balloon with lack of crowds making the group stages and finals a disaster.
However after a year of stubbornness, the ITF have given in and brought some of the old Davis Cup format back to the Davis Cup.
The group stages have been scrapped and have been replaced with two rounds of qualifiers with the first round being played in February.
This will involve 26 nations with only the 2024 Davis Cup champions and the host nation missing from the line-up,
The 13 nations will join the 2024 champions in the second round of qualifiers with both rounds now being home and away ties.
The seven winners will then join the host nation in the Davis Cup Finals which will take place in it’s usual spot at the end of the season.
It’s not just the Davis Cup which has received a revamp as the Billie Jean King Cup Finals have also been updated.
Next year the qualifiers will be a group stage with seven groups of three teams with the winners of each group joining the host nation in the finals.
From 2026 the group stage qualifiers will be replaced with home and away ties in a bid to make the competition more exciting.
This is what ITF president David Haggerty said about the changes announced today, “David Haggerty, ITF President, said: “Today’s news is another positive step forward for both the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge and Davis Cup, and I am excited for the future of both competitions,” Haggerty said.
“The format amendments aim to build on the success we have seen across both events in recent years and contributes towards our long-term ambition to bring them more in sync under the World Cup of Tennis banner.
“In Billie Jean King Cup, the move to an eight-team Finals aligns with the Davis Cup Final 8 format which has proven to be such a success. Moving the Davis Cup September stage from six-day group stage events to two-day home-or-away ties will ease players’ schedules immediately following the US Open, while maintaining the intensity of the competition that they all love.
“The move also allows us to showcase world-class tennis in more nations around the world and increase awareness and participation. With these exciting developments for 2025 now confirmed, our focus is on delivering a spectacular fortnight of tennis at the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals and Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga in November.”
The bidding process for the host nations will now begin for both competitions with the current formats set to conclude in Malaga in November.
