Davis Cup: Pilic criticizes reform: “tradition sold for a lot of money

Niki Pilic has been heavily critical of the Davis Cup reform. “This is a scandal. This reform was made by tennis analphabets,” the long-time German Davis Cup captain told the Stuttgarter Zeitung and the Stuttgarter Nachrichten (Saturday edition).

From 2019, the Davis Cup winner will be played out in a final week at the end of the season instead of throughout the year.

The native Croatian is worried that “the Davis Cup will degenerate into a show”. Pilic assumes that the final week will initially stay in Madrid for two years before moving on to North America, “where it’s all about show”. Pilic also goes to court with the ITF: “The ITF has sold a lot of tradition for a lot of money”.

The 79-year-old could have made friends with a reduction in the playing time from three to two sets, “but the abolition of home and away matches after the preliminary round is a big mistake. Who cares in Madrid if, for example, Canada plays South Korea? Where is the Davis Cup atmosphere supposed to come from?”

Pilic can’t understand the criticism of top stars like Alexander Zverev of the excessive strain in world tennis: “In the past, all players played over 30 tournaments. Nobody was complaining either.” The newly crowned ATP World Champion and other players recently announced that they would not play Davis Cup in November. He needs regeneration at the end of the season to be fit for the Australian Open.