The French Tennis Federation (FFT) wants “the sports format” of the Davis Cup to be reviewed and definitively gives up organizing the group stage of the 2022 edition, it announced Monday in a press release.
“The FFT’s desire to promote and revitalize the Davis Cup is stronger than ever. It now wishes, in the interest of this competition and of tennis, to contribute to the reflection on the sporting format of the competition and the evolution of its economic model for more attractiveness, within the framework of a governance respectful of the values and the spirit of the Davis Cup”, indicates the French authority.
The format change flop
The historic format of the Davis Cup, in matches at home or away, was modified in 2019 after the takeover of the competition by the Spanish group Kosmos, all the teams being grouped together over a week in Madrid to play a phase of hens then a final table.
In the face of criticism, and after a cancellation in 2020 due to covid, the 2021 edition was again modified: the group stage was organized in four cities and the final table in Madrid. But here again the criticisms have rained and the International Federation (ITF) and Kosmos are trying to set up a new version this year.
Just after France qualified for the final phase in March, the FFT applied to receive one of the four group stage groups (September 14-17) of the 2022 edition. But the ITF had not accepted this candidacy, preferring Malaga (Spain), Bologna (Italy), Glasgow (Great Britain) and Hamburg (Germany), the final table (from the quarters to the final) of the competition having to be played in a fifth city.
Excessive operational and financial constraints
The FFT then seized the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). But since then, Malaga has been designated to organize the final table and the ITF must still designate on April 26 according to a new procedure, the city which will replace the Spanish city for the group stage. The French federation is delighted that “the new procedure” take his criticisms into account and therefore “decided to withdraw its action before the CAS today (Monday),” but it nevertheless decided “not to submit an application given the requirements imposed, in particular on the operational and financial level”.