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Kvitova: Davis Cup Changes "Sad"


Devoted Fed Cup competitor Petra Kvitova is mourning Davis Cup reforms.

The International Tennis Federation approved a plan that will create an 18-team, year-end World Cup-style Davis Cup final. Eighteen nations will compete in a week-long Davis Cup finale each November.

Watch: ITF Approves Davis Cup Reforms

The new format largely eliminates the traditional Davis Cup home-and-away ties, except for a February qualifying round which will feature the home-and-away format.

Kvitova, who owns a 30-10 career Fed Cup singles record, says Davis Cup changes make her "sad" because the spirited home-and-away ties are diminished.

"From my side, when I found out today and saw all the kind of videos and the TVs, it's pretty sad for me," Kvitova told the media in Cincinnati. "I think the Davis Cup now will lose kind of the best emotions the Davis Cup has. From my side, I'm not really happy, but of course it's Davis Cup, so I can't really say anything.

"But just from my opinion, I'm happy that the Fed Cup is how it is and would like to keep it like that."

ITF president David Haggerty said one reason Fed Cup was not included in the 2019 Davis Cup week-long final was because of the complexities of finalizing the format. The ITF president said he hopes to replicate the new Davis Cup format with a year-end Fed Cup final.

The Czech Republic will host reigning Fed Cup champion United States in the November 10-11th Fed Cup final at the O2 Arena in Prague.

While conceding the current schedule is challenging, Kvitova is not a fan of applying the new Davis Fup final format to Fed Cup.

"I know that on one side that's pretty tough to play Fed Cup for us when we are on the tour so many weeks, but on the other hand, we can skip some, we can play some if we are feeling comfortable," Kvitova said. "The best is playing home, for sure. That's why this Fed Cup is special for us, and I would like to keep it like that, for sure."

Photo credit: Fed Cup Facebook

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