German Tennis Chief Dirk Hordorff Names And Blames 17 European Countries For 'Death' Of Davis Cup - UBITENNIS

German Tennis Chief Dirk Hordorff Names And Blames 17 European Countries For ‘Death’ Of Davis Cup

The German official has named the countries that voted in favour of changing the format of the Davis Cup earlier this year.

By Adam Addicott
5 Min Read

The vice-president of The German Tennis Federation (DTB) has blamed European countries for the creation of the ‘Kosmos Pique Cup’ in an attack on the upcoming Davis Cup changes.

Dirk Hordorff listed nations such as Italy, Switzerland and Sweden as some of those responsible as he named a total of 27 countries that voted for the Davis Cup changes earlier this year. In August a vote took place on a motion to turn the final of the team competition into a week-long event featuring 18 teams. The final will be held in a neutral location in a move breaking away with a 118-year tradition of home and away finals. The plans, which has been backed by a $3 bn investment from Kosmos over 25 years, passed with a 71.43% approval at the ITF’s AGM meeting in Orlando.

At the time of the vote, the International Tennis Federation didn’t name what countries voted for or against. However, Hordorff has revealed the identity of some of those that supported the motion in a Facebook post. A day after Croatia’s 3-1 win over France in this year’s Davis Cup, he named and shamed 17 European tennis presidents that voted for the transformation.

“These European nations are responsible,” wrote Hordorff. “Don’t worry about USA, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico who all voted also for the Kosmos Pique Cup.”

European countries named by Hordoff
-Sweden with Thomas Wallen
-Denmark with Henri Pedersen
-Finland with Teemo Purho
-Switzerland with Rene Stammbach
-Spain with Thomas Carbonell
-Netherland with Erik Poel
-Belgium with Andre Stein
-Italy with Luisanna Fodde
-France with Bernard Giudicelli
-Portugal with Vasco Costa
-Belarus with Anton Yuspa
-Evgeny Zukin from Ukraine
-Israel with Yoni Yarom
-Lithuania with Ramunas Grusas
-Russia with Alexei Selivanenko
-Norway with Alexander Kjaer
-Cengiz Dormus from Turkey

The German has been a fierce critic of the revamp. Earlier this year he told BBC Sport that the move will ‘kill the Davis Cup.’ In recent months both Kosmos and the head of the ITF, David Haggerty, has had to defend the decision to change the format. Arguing that it was needed to be done due to financial issues. Although there are still concerns about the scheduling of the event, which will take place in November after the ATP Finals.

“It will kill the Davis Cup,” Hordorff told the BBC.
“You cannot make an event which is more or less an exhibition, after the Masters in November, and expect the players to come,” he added.
“We all know how many players are injured and unavailable to play in the Masters, so to have another event after that doesn’t make any sense if you want to have the players.
“The Davis Cup is the crown jewel of the ITF, and if you change something then you have to have a clear concept and a clear contract, but even board members, regional federations and big nations asked questions and they don’t get the answers.”

Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Haggerty has said that it is possible that the Davis Cup could merge with the ATP’s World Team Cup in the future. The World Team Cup will be held at the start of the year in Australia from 2020 onwards. Unlike the Davis Cup, it has the ability to offer ranking points, as well as prize money.

Next year the first stage of the Davis Cup will take place in February with home and away ties still being used. Then the finals will take place at the Caja Magica in Madrid between November 18-24.

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