By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, October 10, 2019
"I don't think they can both coexist six weeks apart for many, many years," Novak Djokovic said of Davis Cup and ATP Cup.
Photo credit: Mike Frey/Rolex Shanghai Masters Facebook
Tennis is all about timing.
Novak Djokovic says it's time the game's governing bodies consider combining Davis Cup and the new ATP Cup into one mega event—or run the risk of one event's extinction.
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"For the sake of tennis, I honestly hope that the conversations are gonna happen again on merging two events into one super event," Djokovic told the media in Shanghai today. "Because I think it's necessary, honestly."
The International Tennis Federation launches its new 18-team, year-end World Cup-style Davis Cup finals in Madrid next month. The new season-ending Davis Cup finals featuring 18 teams will be staged November 18-24th on hard court at Madrid's La Caja Magica, which hosts the Mutua Madrid Masters in May.
ITF president David Haggerty says the new format offering a $20 million prize-money pool will elevate Davis Cup to the status of a fifth major.
However skeptics say the timing of the event, which begins the day after the ATP Finals ends at London's O2 Arena, as well as the format may well prove problematic for Davis Cup gaining traction among players.
The ATP will stage its ATP Cup comprised of 24 countries and offering $15 million in prize money and up to 750 ranking points from January 3rd-12th, 2020. The group stage will be played over six days in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney with the top teams advancing to the final eight in Sydney.
The world No. 1 says the timing of the two team events—just six weeks apart—makes it highly unlikely both events can flourish long-term and asserts both the ITF and ATP should come together and create a combined event.
"I don't think they can both coexist six weeks apart for many, many years," Djokovic said. "Formats are very, very similar if not the same. Of course Davis Cup has the history behind it and tradition and of course the credibility and popularity of a hundred years.
"ATP Cup is a completely new event, but ATP Cup has a better week. It's the beginning of the season a few weeks before Australian Open starts. Most of the players are already on Australian soil so most of the top players are gonna play there."
Wimbledon champion Djokovic will play both events, while 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer is skipping Davis Cup, but is committed to the ATP Cup.
Djokovic says Davis Cup boasts a prestigious 119-year history, while the ATP Cup owns the preferred schedule spot since players are already in Australia preparing for the year's first Grand Slam in Melbourne.
"The format change was something that was necessary for Davis Cup," Djokovic said. "Yes, there were some things you had to sacrifice, unfortunately, playing home ties that's probably one of the things we players liked most about Davis Cup because we get to play at home. That isn't the case anymore. I'm also not a big fan of that decision."
The 16-time Grand Slam champion does not believe both events are sustainable long-term given the crammed calendar, which may well force many players to play one or the other.
"I think the event in terms of a marketing standpoint, I think [Davis Cup] is gonna be successful," Djokovic said. "I think both events are actually going to be really good. It's gonna be interesting to see how it all turns out. We have to remember they are only six weeks apart. To have two huge competitive team events in our sport so close to each other I don't think in long-term that's sustainable. That probably needs to change."
Andy Murray, who led Great Britain to the 2015 Davis Cup, asserts scheduling two team competitions within weeks of each other will not be healthy for the sport and suggested the ATP's plan for its ATP Cup may have fueled the ITF's Davis Cup decision.
"I don't think having like two team competitions six weeks apart, I don't see that as being a positive thing," Murray said. "But, I mean, the ATP and the ITF are not working together on it, so it's obviously most likely both are going to end up having, because if the ITF, I guess if they waited, you know, to take a little bit more time over things and the ATP go ahead with their event the beginning of the year in Australia and that's a big success, then that's very negative for the ITF."