Davis Cup: The end of an era: last final in old mode

The Davis Cup final between France and Croatia in Lille marks the end of an era. The last finale in the old mode promises another great spectacle.

For the final chord at the end of a great era, the Davis Cup will once again throw itself into its festive robe. When the defending champions France and Croatia play for the title in Lille on Friday, the match will include all the ingredients that once made the traditional national competition so popular with players and fans alike. The last finale in the old mode promises another great spectacle.

After all, the atmosphere in the converted football arena in northern France is likely to be as impressive as last year. At that time, the hosts had defeated Belgium 3-2 in a dramatic final. Also this time the French can count on loud support from up to 27,000 fans. In return, the fans may be able to see the last nerve-racking five-sentence thrillers in Davis Cup history.

The fight for the trophy, lovingly ridiculed in tennis circles as “the ugliest salad bowl in the world”, will hardly be recognizable next year. In September, the ITF adopted a reform that was as radical as it was controversial. Instead of four rounds of home and away matches in the World Group spread over the calendar year, there will be a final tournament for 18 teams for the first time in Madrid at the end of November 2019.

The date and the mode of the new Davis Cup, however, had caused heavy criticism in the past months. Several top players as well as Germany’s new ATP World Champion Alexander Zverev have already categorically excluded their participation in the newly created event. In addition, the team competition with the ATP Cup, which will be held in Australia from 2020 in January, will receive top-class competition.

All these discussions about the future of the 118-year-old competition, which have been intensively conducted by the players themselves, are now receding into the background during the duel on the red sand in Lille. After all, the appeal of this title, which every top player wants to win once in his career, is too great. Especially since the French would like to give a special farewell present to their long-time captain Yannick Noah, who will hand over his office to Amelie Mauresmo next year, in the form of his fourth title win.

With so much pain when saying goodbye, the duel is in danger of almost drowning that it is also extremely promising from a sporting point of view. Croatia comes with its two top players Marin Cilic (world rankings: No. 7) and Borna Coric (No. 12) and is slightly favoured.

France have to do without their top players Richard Gasquet, Gael Monfils and Gilles Simon, but with the duo Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert they have a world-class double and a home advantage. Here, too, the Davis Cup promises another great spectacle.