Players upset over Davis, Fed Cup changes

Australia’s Sam Groth has led the early backlash after the International Tennis Federation announced plans to hold the Davis and Fed Cup finals as a combined event in Geneva for three years from 2018.

The ITF’s preference for a neutral venue for both finals has been met with strong resistance within the game.

All other rounds would continue to be played on a home-and-away basis.

The proposal needs to be approved by the national governing bodies at the ITF AGM in August so there remains a possibility it will not go ahead.

But it’s been Groth who has come out swinging on Twitter soon after the decision.

“Have the @ITF_Tennis lost the plot with these @DavisCup reforms?,” he wrote.

Combining the two finals in November will also increase the length of the women’s season, with the Fed Cup final currently taking place two weeks before the Davis Cup final.

The status of the Davis and Fed Cups has been undermined by the growing absence of top players and ITF president David Haggerty has made reforming the competitions a priority.

The reduction of men’s singles matches from best of five sets to best of three will also be voted on in August and should pass comfortably.

More than 20 cities expressed an interest in hosting the event, with Geneva beating Copenhagen, Istanbul , Miami, Turin and Wuhan on the final shortlist.

The venue in Geneva would be the 18,000 capacity Palexpo, with the matches to be played on a hard court.

The ITF argues that a final in a fixed venue would maximise commercial and media interest while removing the current difficulties around trying to find a suitable venue at short notice.

The extra revenue would be put towards increased prize money, player participation incentives and worldwide tennis development.

“Change is needed to ensure that we maximise the full potential of these iconic and historic competitions,” Haggerty said.

“We’ve consulted widely and listened carefully, and believe we will deliver an exceptional new event for fans, players and nations.”

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