Federer passes the buck to organisers

Basel – Roger Federer (right) has revealed that organisers of the re-launched and condensed Davis Cup gave him three days to decide if he would commit to the controversial competition.

Speaking at the Swiss Indoors tournament yesterday where he faced Romanian qualifier Marius Copil, the world No 3 said that given the impossibly short time frame to make a decision, he opted out of any commitment.

“They only left me three days to decide,” Federer said. “I didn’t to have time to consult with all the people I had to consult.

“I could not make a decision in that time, so I told them to do what they wanted.”

The 20-time Grand Slam champion has voiced doubts about the wisdom of the one-week format to be introduced by organisers Kosmos, who have promised $3 billion in prize money over the next 25 years.

The competition is set to feature 18 countries in the November 18-24 finals in Madrid next year, and will replace the classic homeand-away ties played four times per year for decades.

Major players feel that a big event in late November combined with one in January before the Australian Open will mean too much tennis and too little rest.

Argentina and Britain received wild cards to the new-look event, and will compete along with the four 2018 semifinalists and the 12 teams who win qualifying rounds next February. –