ITF's plan for the Davis Cup is to create a one-week event involving 18 teams at the end of the seasonGETTY IMAGES
The revamped Davis Cup and proposed World Team Cup could be held "within a few weeks of each other" if approved, and that is the "last thing professional tennis needs," according to Christopher Clarey of the N.Y. TIMES. The ITF has "proposed a drastically new and reduced format" to the Davis Cup in a 25-year, $3B partnership with the investment group Kosmos. The plan is to "create a one-week event involving 18 teams at the end of the season, in late November or early December." The World Team Cup was discontinued in '12, but the ATP is "looking to revive it on a grander and more lucrative scale in cooperation with Tennis Australia." It would place a one- or two-week World Team Cup "at the start of the season in early January as part of the lead-up to the Australian Open." If approved by the ATP leadership, the new-age version of the event "could begin" in '20. ATP Chair & President Chris Kermode said, "We believe we have a strong option in partnership with Tennis Australia in Week 1 of the calendar, utilizing locations which are known to showcase the sport in a very positive way." Clarey noted something "clearly has to give," and though ITF President David Haggerty and Kermode "met at Indian Wells last week and agreed to keep each other informed, nothing has given yet." Tennis player Milos Raonic said, "They will compete, but one’s going to end up swallowing the other eventually. Because I don’t think in any sport, two team competitions, other than something as big as soccer, really survive." What the sport "really needs for the long term is one, just one, clearly defined and fully supported team event, preferably not an annual one" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/17).
