‘Black day’ for the Davis Cup

– World tennis chiefs on Thursday approved a radical Davis Cup overhaul that will condense the 118-year-old showpiece into an 18-team, week-long event but critics blasted the changes as a “black day” for the sport.

The shake-up for the men’s tournament received 71.43 percent support from delegates at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) annual meeting in Orlando, well ahead of the two-thirds majority needed for approval.

“I feel very comfortable that this is not a risk for the Davis Cup. It’s the right thing to do,” ITF president David Haggerty said.

Kosmos, an investment group led by Barcelona football star Gerard Pique with Japanese and Chinese support, will spend $3 billion over 25 years on the new event, with a European host for 2019, reportedly Madrid or Lille, expected to be announced later this month.

The current Davis Cup format is a knockout event played February, July, September and November at home and away venues around the globe, best-of-five match ties following Grand Slam events until the final round.

Many top players have skipped it in recent years to ease their schedule, although the reform plan will put the Davis Cup in November, trimming the off-season.

The reform plan will create finals with 18 teams: 12 winners from 24-team home and away qualifying ties in February, the previous year’s four semifinalists and two wild-card nations.

Round-robin groups of three would send six group winners and two runners-up into knockout play-offs from Friday to Sunday.

The finals would feature two singles matches and one doubles match each day, all cut to best-ofthree sets.

The 2019 event will take place from November 18-24 in either Madrid or Lille.

Many reactions to the vote mourned the death of the Davis Cup or what they termed a sellout move, with Britain, Germany and Australia among those opposing the plan.

“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,” the Czech Republic Davis Cup team posted on Facebook. “We are sorry that the Davis Cup will never be what it was.”

“For us, the result is a bitter disappointment which has left us stunned,” said German federation president Ulrich Klaus.

Tennis Australia was “extremely disappointed with the radical changes,” the federation said.

“Crying over two tragic deaths today. Aretha Franklin and @DavisCup .... RIP,” tweeted French player Alize Cornet. –

Orlando

For us the result is a bitter disappointment which has left us stunned.

Ulrich Klaus German federation president