Tennis federations of nations including Australia and France have come under pressure from players who enjoy the traditional Davis Cup crowd atmospheres.GETTY IMAGES
With three months remaining until the Int'l Tennis Federation's proposal to "radically revamp" the Davis Cup is put to a vote, "work is afoot to tone down the most controversial element of the scheme," according to Simon Briggs of the London TELEGRAPH. Fans across the world "have been outraged by the proposed abolition of home-and-away ties." In order to placate the critics, one initial eliminator round is reportedly "likely to be retained in the first week of February." This will mean that "most nations play a home Davis Cup tie every two years." The teams that "survive the February showdown" will then continue on to the World Cup of Tennis concept: "a week-long team tournament in November, which is still intended to involve 18 countries." This amendment "should improve" the ITF's "chances of earning a two-thirds majority from its members" when the new Davis Cup model is put to a vote at August's annual general meeting. Another "stumbling block could disappear" if tennis bodies manage to convince the investors behind the new model that the November finals "should be held in Europe rather than a far-flung Asian venue such as Singapore or Beijing" (TELEGRAPH, 5/15).
