By Tennis Now Staff | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, September 14, 2024
The Davis Cup debacle is because of the ITF’s selections and never soccer star turned investor Gerard Pique, says Novak Djokovic.
Meeting the media in Valencia forward of Serbia’s Davis Cup tie, Djokovic was requested his views on the present state of Davis Cup.
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The 23-time Grand Slam champion says Davis Cup points are because of the International Tennis Federation’s selections and asserts “if anyone has to be criticized, it is the ITF.”
“I don’t support criticism of Pique because it’s not his fault. The ITF is the one that allowed the format change and the one that makes the final decision,” Djokovic instructed the media in Spain. “He came with his company and bet on tennis. If anyone has to be criticised, it is the ITF.
“The format needed to be modified, what occurs is that we’ve gone from one excessive to the opposite. We have not performed in Serbia for a very long time at dwelling.”
Stan Wawrinka, who paired with Roger Federer to help lead Switzerland to the 2014 Davis Cup championship shared this video of a near empty Manchester Arena for Switzerland’s Davis Cup tie earlier this week.
Wawrinka captioned his social media post with a sarcastic: “Thank you @3gerardpique, @ITFTennis 🤬🤦🏻♂️! @DavisCup France vs Switzerland in Manchester lol.”
Thank you @3gerardpique @ITFTennis 🤬🤦🏻♂️! @DavisCup France vs Switzerland in Manchester lol pic.twitter.com/XqcqSQEURd
— Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) September 12, 2023
The three-time Grand Slam champion was referring to the International Tennis Federation and Kosmos, led by Pique, who terminated their 25-year, $3 billion Davis Cup deal after 5 years final yr.
The deal radically reconstructed the Davis Cup format largely forgoing the standard home-and away Davis Cup ties that made Davis Cup so festive, fan-friendly and distinctive.
The new format got here below fireplace from a number of Davis Cup traditionalists, together with Lleyton Hewitt, John McEnroe, Jim Courier and Wawrinka with some gamers charging the ITF has killed the spirit of Davis Cup and put the longest-running annual crew competitors in sport in a floundering state.
The 36-year-old Serbian famous person suggests gamers haven’t been consulted on format adjustments and that Davis Cup’s standing might get much more sophisticated given the authorized issues dissolving the ITF and Kosmos partnership and the actual fact ITF President David Haggerty’s four-year time period ends on the finish of 2023.
“I don’t know what will happen if the ITF loses in court with Kosmos,” Djokovic stated. “Let’s see what happens with the competition. There is a lot of uncertainty because there are also elections for the presidency of the International Federation.
“All I’m saying is that the Davis Cup has to reside. I hope that the gamers might be consulted if there are adjustments as a result of then there are gamers pissed off by it and they’ll converse within the media.”
Photo credit score: Justin Gimelstob Facebook
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