Approximately a month before the announcement by the ITF of the biggest overhaul to the format of Davis Cup in its over 100-year-old history, Ben Rothenberg (New York Times) and Ubaldo Scanagatta (Ubitennis) met in Melbourne to discuss the future of the competition.
“I didn’t believe in it at first – said Rothenberg – but the Laver Cup got a lot of things right about the way to run a team competition these days: one or two weeks in one place, and make sure you get all the stars there. This is the main problem with Davis Cup: the top players are not there, and that makes it irrelevant“.
“But who is going to attend a Davis Cup match if the local nation is not playing?” objects Scanagatta.
“If you package it correctly, it should work, like the World Cup of Soccer – answered Rotenberg – I don’t like how irrelevant Davis Cup is in 2018. If you don’t adapt, you will die“.
