Is the Davis Cup in its final moments?

A day after Italy’s home win against Spain on Sunday, more and more voices are lamenting the old formula of this international tennis competition.

The tennis competition may be the third oldest sporting trophy after the America’s Cup, in sailing, and the Ryder Cup, in golf, but the event in its current format is not unanimous. Created 125 years ago, the Davis Cup underwent a complete rules overhaul in 2019 when Kosmos, an investment fund, bought it and implemented a new formula: a final phase that pits eight teams against each other, in one location and over the course of one week.

The Davis Cup no longer resembles what it was when it was first created: a men’s professional tennis tournament based on countries, in different locations, that took place over several months, from February 1 to November 24.

But that was before. From now on, the Davis Cup is a masterpiece in peril, even if it returns to the hands of the International Tennis Federation in 2023. Still. He lost his soul and identity. “This is no longer the World Cup. For me, the Davis Cup no longer exists!”even decided on Steve Darcis, the Belgian captain.

Alexander Zverev, world number 3, also made the same observation. “The real Davis Cup is the atmosphere. That’s not the problem. It’s an exhibition tournament called the Davis Cup.“

Jannik Sinner has won the Davis Cup twice with Italy, but in the current format. Currently, the world number 2 tennis player regrets this historic formula. “Unfortunately, I’ve never played in a Davis Cup, a real Davis Cup. When you play in Argentina or Brazil, you have the whole stadium up, not against you but for the other team. And I think that’s what the real Davis Cup is all about. !”

Jannik Sinner put forward the idea of ​​holding the Davis Cup for two years. An idea worth exploring is Paul-Henri Mathieu, captain of the French team. “At the moment the problem is that it is very complicated to get back to normal because every week is taken away. Why not rediscover what the essence of this competition is: playing home or away. Why not play it every two years or spread it over two years ?”

And that won’t happen next year, or in two years. But we must act quickly because the Davis Cup is at risk of losing interest. In Bologna, Italy, where the final was played, there were only three players in the Top 20 in the world, and only one in the Top 10.