Third year, third format: What has gotten better with the "new" Davis Cup?
Once again, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and marketer Kosmos have made changes to the "new" Davis Cp. A few big problems remain.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Feb 19, 2022, 12:39 pm
No, the version of the Davis Cup final round 2022 announced on Thursday did not lead to spontaneous outbursts of joy within the tennisnet editorial team either. Traditionalists in particular argue that the tournament format, which was held for the first time in 2019, should not be called the "Davis Cup". They have moved too far away from the mode learned over many decades, when all rounds up to the title match still brought real home and away games.
The Americans had their Hartford, the Austrians their Prater Stadium (and both home teams had to bow out against Germany and the USA in the end), in 2016 in Zagreb there was the great Argentine triumph in front of packed ranks, and, and, and. No, the thing should actually be called "Kosmos Cup", that's how it resounds through our corridors, owed to the marketer of the party.
Now there are individual voices in the desert, the author of these lines, for example, who at least sees an improvement in some aspects compared to last year.
Medvedev and Djokovic after the US Open at the Davis Cup?
So what's new? First of all, there is the date for the group games of the final round, which are to be played from September 14th to 18th. This window after the US Open was also used in the heyday of the Davis Cup - but only by four teams, who chose the finalists in two semifinals. But: In 2021, this phase of the competition did not take place until the end of November, when many players had actually already finished their season.
So will the world's best players arrive in September rather than two months later? With 16 teams now in the league, the cumulative number of top ten aces could perhaps be greater than four teams last seen in 2018. However: If the US Open final of the previous year were to be repeated at the beginning of September 2022 - would Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic (Russia and Serbia are qualified for the final round) then serve for their country a few days later? And if so: where?
Because that's one of the main tasks of the ITF: drawing lots for the four groups as quickly as possible after the qualifying round at the beginning of March and then finding four associations that will raise their hands as hosts. In 2021, in addition to Madrid, these were Innsbruck and Turin.
Too many teams in the final round?
Incidentally, that's also an improvement on last year, albeit only marginally: This time, one nation will be able to enjoy the home advantage more. And since the location of the final has not yet been decided, there is no need to go into the very special conditions in Madrid, as was the case with the most recent edition. Should Argentina and Great Britain meet in, for example, Belgrade, a tennis festival in the stands is still not to be expected.
The final is still the big sticking point: Because there are still eight teams that are supposed to play the champion at the end of November. In a place that could also be Abu Dhabi (even if there is resistance here: if there is enough money on the table, a trip to Abu Dhabi might come back on the tableau.) But what top player, who doesn't made the ATP Finals will take the trouble to actually play another country match in the off-season - with the prospect that the whole story will end in a quarter-final defeat?
So the “new” Davis Cup remains a difficult undertaking. Not only marketers Kosmos discovered this, but also the associations that voted for the reform (the German Tennis Association was not one of them). Because the payments from the organizers are reported to have been significantly lower than originally promised.