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The new Davis Cup event format has not found much takers. Former World number 1 and Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer has clearly expressed his dismay over the changes that will be in force soon.
According to the new likely format , it will do away with four rounds at home and away venues around the world throughout the year, culminating with the final between the last two teams standing. Instead, it will see a one-week-shoot-out among 18 nations, which will be played in November at rotating venues.
The investment group, Kosmos, led by Spanish footballer Gerard Pique with Japanese and Chinese support, will spend US$ 3 billion over 25 years on the event.
“I feel sad about it, you know, not to have the Davis Cup as it used to be. It will never be the same for the next generation,” the 20-time Grand Slam winner was quoted as saying by news agency AFP at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters.
“I just hope that every penny of that mass of money will be paid for the next generation,” Federer added.
Federer, who participated in the Davis Cup with Switzerland from his debut in 1999 till 2015, said the solution to invite big players to the tournament is flawed. “Clearly the ITF has never historically involved the players,” he said. “(The solution) is definitely flawed in some ways.
I’m all for innovation, and got to give them a chance to some extent. It will be interesting to see how it’s going to work,” he added.
The Australian Open Champion further further went on to talk about the 2000 incident when the bankruptcy of the Swiss ISL promotion firm that promised to pay the ATP Tour US$ 1.2 billion for a decade for the rights to the elite Masters led to serious damages. “We’ve seen a similar situation way back when with the ATP Tour and it set us back in a big way. I don’t want that to happen again,” he said.
