Tennis chiefs "plan to adopt the NFL's Super Bowl model, by selecting fixed-venue cities in advance for their showcase Davis and Fed Cup finals," according to Ossian Shine of REUTERS. The switch away from one of the finalists hosting the decider is "part of a broader strategy" aimed at developing the men's and women's int'l team events. Int'l Tennis Federation President David Haggerty said, "This is all part of our mission to make the appeal of tennis broad and wide." Other options under consideration "include a tweak of formats to reduce the length of matches," and expanding the top-tier Fed Cup competition to feature 16 nations. Haggerty hopes to have the new hosting system in place by '18. He said, "Davis Cup is 135 nations. This is a way to unlock potential revenue which will help grassroots tennis." Haggerty did not "name a figure cities would have to come up with to host the final," but said he thought it would be "significant." The ITF membership will vote on the plans next August. Haggerty said that he hoped to see cities, federations and their sponsors "come together to bid" for '18. Haggerty, who won a four-year presidential term in '15, said, "The most likely scenario would be for two-to-three-year terms." In the women's competition, Haggerty is "eager to introduce an expanded Fed Cup top group," and introduce a "Final Four" format. He said that one of the prime benefits of the "neutral final" plan was to unlock more potential revenue (REUTERS, 9/21).
