Just hours before the first serve was struck to begin Wimbledon, the "prospect of a civil war in tennis became a certainty," with Tennis Australia at the "forefront of the agitation," according to Courtney Walsh of the AAP. The ATP Tour announced on Monday it will "push ahead with plans" to run a 24-team World Team Cup in Australia from Jan. '20, with prize money of A$20M ($14.6M) and ranking points. The move puts it "in direct dispute" with the Int'l Tennis Federation. The move is "certain to have significant ramifications for the look of the Australian summer of tennis." In the "radical overhaul" of the Australian summer calendar, the 24-team showpiece will likely "spell the death knell" for the Sydney and Brisbane Int'l men's events and is seen as a "direct challenge" to the ITF, which devised plans for a similar format for the Davis Cup. ATP Chair Chris Kermode believes the resurrection of the WTC will "launch the new season in style." Kermode said, "This event will enable us to kick off our season with a major team event, with minimal impact on existing player schedules at the start of the year. We believe this outcome will deliver long-term sustainability, not only financially, but also from a players' health perspective, which is critical" (AAP, 7/3). REUTERS' Clare Fallon reported organizers of the Davis Cup were "critical" of news that a revamped World Team Cup would start in early '20 in Australia. The ITF said that it already had plans to transform the Davis Cup into an 18-team "world-class finale" at the end of the '19 season and "expressed disappointment" that the ATP decided to go ahead with its new event. In a statement, the ITF said, "We do feel that this was an opportunity missed by the ATP to work together with the ITF in a beneficial and positive way for the whole of tennis" (REUTERS, 7/1).
