The criticism of the new Davis Cup continues. Now the top players are supposed to have spoken out against a start in the oldest team competition of tennis.
Alexander Zverev had ruled out participation in the Davis Cup final tournament early on, but now his colleagues seem to be doing the same. According to L’Equipe, the top stars of the scene have announced by letter that they will not be represented in Madrid next year.
Piquant: The reform was initiated mainly because of the lack of superstars. Now the driving force Gerard Pique is threatened by an absolute horror scenario together with Davis Cup boss. The FC Barcelona player was there at the Shanghai tournament to convince Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer of his plans.
This has apparently brought nothing, both players have not yet publicly announced their intention to compete in the Spanish capital. Federer already criticised the defender unusually sharply on the sidelines of the US Open: “It’s a bit strange to have a footballer in our world. He has to be very careful so there’s no piqué cup.”
Rafael Nadal was the only one who was impressed by the reform and, according to Pique, already confirmed his appearance at the tournament in Madrid. “When he’s fit, he’ll play,” says the Catalan. “If the world’s number one takes up, that’s more than enough.” In addition, the team spirit is what makes the Davis Cup so attractive anyway.
Nevertheless, it is doubtful that the event will be a complete success without top players. The deadline is the main problem for the professionals: The premiere will take place from 18 to 24 November 2019.
“I don’t want to play tennis anymore in November. To have a tournament at this time is crazy. I think that all the top players will say the same thing,” says Sascha Zverev. The letter from the stars to the International Tennis Federation is now to prove the German right.