By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, June 29, 2016
"Obviously the Davis Cup format, as it is, doesn't work anymore," said Novak Djokovic.
Photo credit: ITF/Davis Cup
Novak Djokovic and Tomas Berdych faced off in the 2013 Davis Cup final and occupy opposing views on the Davis Cup future.
The world No. 1 called for a "radical change" to the Davis Cup format to ensure the health —and potential participation — of top players.
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"Well, there were different talks about the different change of format of Davis Cup," Djokovic told the media at Wimbledon today. "I definitely stand for change of format of Davis Cup. I've been saying that openly in public for many years.
"I think we do need to create a radical change because if we continue having this kind of format, it's not going to be good for players."
International Tennis Federation president David Haggerty said the ITF is considering revising the current Davis Cup structure.
Under one proposed plan, the ITF would retain the home-and-away ties through the early rounds then play the semifinals and finals at a neutral site reminiscent of World Cup and the NCAA Final Four, which are both contested at neutral sites.
"A fundamental thing that I think is important to Davis Cup and Fed Cup is the home-and-away format, especially in the earlier rounds," Haggerty told ITF World Magazine in an interview published earlier this year. "What would be very interesting to me is a final four concept. In the final week, generally in November, we would have the final four teams come together in a neutral location. We could have the semifinals in the first three days, a day of rest and then three days for the final."
Berdych, who helped lead the Czech Republic to back-to-back Davis Cup championships defeating Spain on home soil in the 2012 final before successfully defending the Cup against a Djokovic-led Serbian squad in Belgrade, strongly opposes the proposal.
"I would definitely not be a fan of that. I experienced both finals, I mean, the one at home and I also experienced the one away," Berdych told the media at Wimbledon. "Of course it's all very different, all very different experience, I have to say. But I would definitely never change the experience that I had winning at home."
Supporters of change assert the current format is antiquated, arduous and drains drama and diminishes interest by scattering the World Group first round, quarterfinals, and semifinals over 10 months.
Hosting the final four at one site could generate more interest, media coverage and revenue for the ITF, which could package a Davis Cup final four as an attractive television package. Another idea the ITF is considering is granting first-round byes to both the Davis Cup champion and finalist the following year.
Djokovic, who helped lead host Serbia to its first Davis Cup championship in the 2010 final contested in his hometown of Belgrade, believes the current structure is broken and says change is not only beneficial, but essential to ensure player participation.
"Obviously the Davis Cup format, as it is, doesn't work anymore," Djokovic said. "There are not many top players that are participating in Davis Cup for many previous years. We have seen a few of us managing to play for our countries. Throughout the whole year, it's a big challenge because of the schedule.
"You have four rounds in the best case scenario of the World Group. The best match in terms of schedule for top player is the first one. Every match after that you need to play after either a Grand Slam or after a season finale. We all love representing our country. We all love being part of this competition because it brings out the best in us. It's the only official team competition we have in sports."
Pointing to the intense passion of playing a home Davis Cup tie as well as the incentive for players to compete in the Davis Cup season to earn a home-court advantage in the final, Berdych called the concept of a neutral site final four "a bit unfair."
"So with this fact, I think it's a bit unfair to the team that makes it all the way to the final," Berdych said. "I think that the will or the reason of the Davis Cup should be try to make it better for the players. But I don't see really what's this better for the players, you know. I think it's just a bit unfair."