Kosmos founder Gerard Pique has played down fears over a series of high-profile players missing next year’s Davis Cup tournament by insisting that it is still possible that the world’s top three players may still feature.
Next season will be the start of the new-look Davis Cup competition. For the first time in history, the finals will feature 18 teams playing in a week-long tournament at the end of the year. The event will be hosted at the Caja Magica in Madrid. Removing the Davis Cup tradition of the finals being held either home or away. The initiative has come to life with the help of financial backing from Kosmos, who have pledged to invest $3 billion over the next 25 years.
“It is an honour to be here to present this great project, the Davis Cup,” Pique told reporters on Wednesday.
“I had a dream, say two or three years ago, to create a unique event in the world of tennis where players could represent their nations.”
The divisive plans have triggered a mixed response from some players due to the timing of the event. Roger Federer has previously hinted that he may not play in the competition in 2019 after saying the event is ‘not designed for him.’ Meanwhile, Germany’s Alexander Zverev have become the first top 10 player to publicly state that he will miss the Davis Cup finals.
“Because in November I do not want to play tennis anymore,” the world No.5 recently said about the Davis Cup.
“I think all the top guys will say the same thing. We have one and a half months off in our season, and that’s end of November and December.
“Making a tournament end of November which is 10 days playing and competing, it’s crazy.
“By the end of the year we are all tired.”
Will the star players commit?
Despite the mixed response, Barcelona F.C. player Pique is confident that his plans will prove to be a hit. Saying the event focuses on the teams and not the individuals. A stance that was previously echoed by the CEO of Kosmos earlier this week. His confidence is aided with a pledged by 11-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal. According to Pique, Nadal will play as long as he is fit to do so.
“Rafa Nadal has said he will come if he is not injured,” said Pique.
“With the number one, it is already more than enough.”
It is dubious if the presence of just Nadal will help silence critics. Novak Djokovic is yet to commit to the event, but he recently held talks with Pique at the Shanghai Masters. Djokovic, who is a member of the ATP Player Council, has previously said he rather play in the soon-to-be revived World Team Cup than the Davis Cup. From January 2020, the ATP will bring back the World Team Cup with both prize money and ranking points available.
“He did not say he was not coming, he said if he agreed with the ATP he would go to the ATP tournament,” Pique commented on Djokovic’s presence.
“I talked a lot with him in Shanghai because he represents the players and he himself said that the Davis Cup is tennis history. I think we have to keep talking and we will surely reach an agreement.”
As for 20-time grand slam champion Federer, it is unclear as to what his future in the Davis cup will be. The Times newspaper had previously reported that Switzerland was offered a wild card to play in the Davis Cup finals, but it failed to occur because Federer didn’t commit to the event. The same was said to be the case for Serbia with Novak Djokovic. Great Britain and Argentina were the two countries awarded the wild cards.
“For many he (Federer) is the best of all time but in respect to the Davis Cup he hasn’t played it very much. If he wants to play that will be fantastic, we’ll open the door to him,” said Pique.
“If not, that’s fine. It will never be perfect. Because of his age he tends to prioritise emblematic tournaments, but his people haven’t closed the door. Also, Switzerland may not qualify.”
The 2019 Davis Cup finals will take place between November 18-24. It will be played on hard courts.
