The reform of the Davis Cup for 2018 decided by the ITF will influence the plans of the Austrian Tennis Association for the first-round match in the Europe/Africa Zone 1 on 2 May.and 3.February against Belarus is absolutely essential.
One way of communicating with its member countries: just one hour before the ITF press release, for example, the Austrian Tennis Federation was informed about the changes in the mode for 2018.And the ÖTV is directly affected by this – after all, the match against Belarus will now only be played over two days, namely on Friday and Saturday.
The search for the right venue does not become any easier for ÖTV managing director Thomas Schweda and his team to find the right venue – on the contrary: The costs for renting a venue remain the same, but the revenues from ticket sales for Sunday are no longer incurred.
“I think the reforms and ideas are actually good, but the ITF has presented us with a fait accompli,”says Schweda,”but the implementation of the ITF is fumbling.Of course, we are already in negotiations with potential organizers – and now suddenly one day goes by.”
From a sporting point of view, Stefan Koubek, the Austrian Davis Cup captain, whose team can take revenge against Belarus at the beginning of February, will be able to take advantage of the new developments: On the one hand, due to the best-of-three matches on Friday, you can start later – a service for the professional fans.For the players, the “bland” Saturday is no longer a day of rest, but the decision has already been made.And thus also the possibility to arrive to the next tournament on Sunday.For Koubek, the very best conditions for the top players to rediscover their love for the Davis Cup.And: just for a country like Austria, which can fall back on numerous strong double players, the fifth man in the team is just right.
Günter Bresnik has a more traditional view of the whole affair:”The ITF will be teaching at the Davis Cup until there is nothing left of it,” Bresnik told tennisnet.
It is also exciting to see how the relegation matches for the promotion to the world group will be played – after all, nothing has changed on the top floor of the three-day format, at least for the coming year.