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Simon: Players Have No Impact On Davis Cup


Gilles Simon is interested in proposed Davis Cup changes, but isn't invested in the outcome of the ITF competition.

That's because Simon says players have no influence over Davis Cup's format and future and because the 33-year-old Frenchman believes it's impossible to please everyone with Davis Cup revisions.

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"There's no magic solution, otherwise we would have found it a long time ago," Simon told the media in Monte-Carlo. "There are requests for change on one side. But every time a suggestion is made, everybody is saying no, it's not good. So it is complicated. Davis Cup has not the same importance according to the different players and according to the different countries. So pleasing everyone isn't going to happen.

"I'm very much at ease with all of this because we have absolutely no influence on Davis Cup whatsoever. The ITF can make announcements, changes, and we can't do anything. Well, we can try and make some noise, but in the end we have no influence. We are just subject to their decisions."

Earlier this year, the International Tennis Federation announced its revolutionary plan to condense Davis Cup to an annual season-ending event starting next year.

The new plan calls for scrapping the traditional 16-team World Group format with home-and-away ties staged during four weekends spread out over the season.

The ITF proposes a new 18-nation World Cup soccer-style tournament held over one week at a neutral site.

Instead of five best-of-five-set matches, the new format shortens Davis Cup ties to three best-of-three set matches–two singles matches and one doubles match.

"Last year they announced something different. I think it was three-setters instead of five-setters, but it was knocked down," Simon said. "I don't like wasting my energy on things where I have no impact. I'm just a spectator there."

Simon said since Davis Cup carries different significance in different countries, there is no ideal solution that will satisfy players.

"Some players like the competition the way it is now. Others don't play it any more," Simon said. "That's the basic problem. We've never found something that pleases everyone.

"In France they don't like the new suggestion, but it's not the same everywhere. This is what we should talk about. In our country, we give a certain importance to Davis Cup that is different from what happens in other countries. It doesn't have the same impact."

Among the players, if some are in favor, others are against, in the end I am just sitting back and enjoying watching it. Photo credit: Sky Sports

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