This year will once again be another milestone in the history of the 121-year-old Davis Cup.
Three years after the ITF board approved plans for a massive overhaul of the team competition, this year’s finals are taking place in multiple cities for the first time. Innsbruck, Turin and Madrid will host the competition with the final being played in the Spanish capital. Which is also the home country of Kosmos, the financial investment firm who have pledged $3bn into the Davis Cup over a 25-year period.
On the eve of the finals getting underway, The Telegraph published an article reporting that the event is set to head to the Middle East in the near future. According to their sources, the United Arab Emirates is set to host the event in what could be a five-year deal. Something which many considered was unthinkable just a decade ago for an event which was known for its home and away ties.
On the same day as rumours of a move to the Middle East was on the cards, one Davis Cup captain has called for there to be more dialogue. Leon Smith, who led Great Britain to the title back in 2015, told reporters that he has heard rumours about what may happen in the future but nothing official. A somewhat frustrating situation for him and other team captains.
“I’m hearing that some things might be happening next year, but only hearing it second hand. It would be good to talk about it before decisions are made,” said Smith. “We are close to the players and so long as we all feel we know what works well. I know Kosmos wants it to be great, but it would be great to make us feel more included. We know what works and in the end of the day we all want big crowds. Have the best players available.’
“Davis Cup is not always about finances, it’s about the emotions and the atmosphere. I hear snippets of information and I don’t know if it’s true or not.” He added.
The Organisers are keen to learn from what happened two years ago in Madrid with some ties going on until the early hours in the morning and inconsistency concerning the number of fans attending the event throughout its duration.
“We can’t control what happens in the future. Talking to anybody: the atmosphere, the environment is so important. I know that things have to change. Kosmos will try to find what’s best, but there’s got to be an open dialogue about the future of the competition.” Smith commented.
In Innsbruck players are facing one big difference compared to those playing in the two other countries. Due to Austria entering lockdown earlier this week because of COVID-19 levels, fans are prohibited from attending the event. Meaning there will be no cheers for Novak Djokovic’s Serbia, Germany or the host nation.
Former world No.20 and 2002 Australian Open quarter-finalist Stefan Koubek is the head of Team Austria. Like others in the sport, he still misses the old Davis Cup format but admits that the chances of the competition reverting back to its original form are extremely low. One of the arguments for the changes was to generate greater financial investment.
“The Davis Cup is the Davis Cup. But it’s not what it used to be when I was still playing. The home matches are sorely missed and you can’t compensate for that,” he said. “We would have had the home advantage here, as we are playing in Innsbruck. Abroad, we would also have our hardcore fans – they are feeling the loss of not being able to attend the most – but it’s still different. It’s a useless discussion. I have a feeling that it won’t ever be like it used to be.”
German captain Michael Kohlmann believes fans and critics need to give the Davis Cup a chance to find its footing. The competition was axed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although he fears the global travel required for tennis fans to attend the finals each year will be problematic. Even more so if the report of it moving to the Middle East is true. A region where no country has a Davis Cup team ranked in the world’s top 70.
“I think that this format has to be given a chance, but I don’t think that the fans will travel around the world each and every year. It’s not like football,” Kohlmann commented. “The fans are a big factor – as we’ve seen ourselves in 2018 in Australia and in Spain, where the tie was played in a bullring arena. This just isn’t possible with this kind of set-up. Now, you have to be lucky to play in front of your home crowd in the qualification round.”
This year’s Davis Cup finals will feature 18 teams. Out of the 88 nominated players only Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Marin Cilic have previously won a Grand Slam title in singles. Furthermore, only two players are under the age of 20 compared to 41 who are aged over 30.
