Britain handed wild card

Great Britain have won a free pass into the new Davis Cup finals week – which will be played in November next year – via the controversial mechanism of a wild card from the International Tennis Federation.

The idea that two of the 18 teams at the finals would be hand-picked, rather than earning their place by right, is one of several aspects of the new proposals that have caused negative reactions in the sport. But Scott Lloyd, the Lawn Tennis Association chief executive, welcomed the wild card, which saved the British team from having to compete in February’s qualifiers round.

“Although we didn’t vote for the Davis Cup reforms,” said Lloyd in a statement, “we have always said we would support the ITF and it’s our job now to get behind the competition.”

In an interview yesterday, David Haggerty, the ITF president, suggested that Great Britain’s superb travelling support had been a factor in the decision. With the finals week to be played in either Lille or Madrid next year, the trip would not be a long one for British tennis lovers, although many of the staunchest fans have already expressed reservations about the new format.

“We looked at things like the heritage of the nation in Davis Cup. Are the fans engaged, do the fans travel,” said Haggerty, who also granted a wild card to Argentina, the 2016 champions. “We also wanted to get a sense of the top players’ participation, and if they didn’t participate, to make sure that the team was high calibre without the top players.”