ATP points in the Davis Cup - where's the reward for the players?
Achieving points for the ATP world rankings with victories in the Davis Cup has been done before. Why not reintroduce this regulation?
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Mar 08, 2020, 02:28 pm
Nobody knows how much ATP officials, such as CEO Andrea Gaudenzi, actually speak to ITF officials, such as President David Haggerty. Many top players have already clearly articulated that they will not be happy with the idea of playing the same event twice within five weeks with the Davis Cup final tournament and then the ATP Cup afterwards. Who flinches here first is questionable, the better cards seem to be due to the better date at the ATP.
But you could get closer in another field: the awarding of points for the ATP world rankings at Davis Cup matches. It is not so long ago that this regulation already existed. At the moment, however, the players compete for their respective nations out of pure fun in the international match, including no (or in some cases even larger) compensation for pain and suffering.
The ATP Cup as a role model?
Amazingly, the ATP leads the Davis Cup matches in their official game statistics (like recently the matches at the Laver Cup - which seems a bit strange given the game mode there with a champions tie-break instead of a third set). So why not reward the players for victories in international matches? And why not borrow from the ATP Cup, if only partially? There, namely, bonus points were distributed - depending on the world ranking position of the opponent. The stakes had increased as the tournament progressed - this could be worth considering for the final tournament in Madrid (and, as is evidently being considered, also in other cities).
This would add another event to the ATP ranking of the participating players (18 tournaments plus the ATP Cup plus the Davis Cup), but this would increase the attractiveness of the team competition with the longest tradition. On the other hand, there would be arguments that those players from the six nations who are already qualified for the final (the four semi-finalists of the previous year plus two wildcard teams) cannot win points at the beginning of the year. This would affect Novak Djokovic , Rafael Nadal , Daniil Medvedev or Denis Shapovalov in the current season.