Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner Call For Davis Cup To Return To Traditional Format, ATP Says..

Superstars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner (AP)

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, two of the world’s top tennis players, are advocating for the Davis Cup to return to its traditional home-and-away format and be staged over two years, a proposal supported by ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) scrapped the old format of home-and-away ties played over a few days each year in 2019. This year’s Final 8 in Bologna begins just two days after the ATP Finals decider in Turin.

Sinner, who has reached the last four of the ATP Finals and was part of the Italian team that won the last two Davis Cups, opted out of selection this year to focus on preparing for his Australian Open defence.

“I never unfortunately played the Davis Cup, the real Davis Cup, where it’s away, playing in Argentina or in Brazil with the whole stadium, not against you, but for the other team,” Sinner said after his win over Ben Shelton on Friday.

“It can happen that Australia plays against U.S. next year in Bologna. You don’t have this Davis Cup feeling.”

The relentless calendar and lack of a proper off-season remain a point of contention, with the Professional Tennis Players’ Association filing a lawsuit in March against the sport’s governing bodies, calling the situation unsustainable.

“I think playing with this schedule, Davis Cup, it’s difficult that you have every year from every country the best players in the world,” Sinner said.

“What I would like is having Davis Cup throughout two years. You can set up the semi-finals in the beginning of the year and the final at the end of the year.”

World number one Alcaraz, who is competing for Spain and has also reached the last four of the ATP Finals, addressed the Davis Cup issue after his win over Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday, following Musetti’s withdrawal from the Italian team.

“If the tournament is played every two or three years the commitment of the players, it’s going to be even more because it’s unique, it’s different,” Alcaraz said.

“You’re not able to play every year. I would say they have to do something about it to make the Davis Cup unique.”

ATP Backs The Idea

ATP chairman Gaudenzi, speaking to reporters in Turin on Thursday, also discussed the Davis Cup while addressing scheduling issues. “I do really love the Davis Cup. I think it’s an amazing event,” Gaudenzi said.

“We should all come together to try to make it the World Cup for tennis. In an ideal world I think the Davis Cup could go home and away and over two years.”

German player Alexander Zverev, who will compete in Bologna, exited the ATP Finals on Friday after losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime.

“I don’t think this Davis Cup is the real Davis Cup. It’s an exhibition tournament in a way, that is called Davis Cup.

“To play against Italy in Italy would be a completely different atmosphere than playing Italy in Spain. I played against Rafa Nadal in a bullfighting arena.

“That’s for me the real Davis Cup.”

(With inputs from Agencies)