Tennis – Davis Cup: Historic Reforms Approved

Tennis-Davis Cup: Historic Reforms Approved

According to ITF announcement, the AGM approved with 71.43% majority, the ITF and Kosmos’ transformational reforms to the Davis Cup.

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The salient features of the reforms and future events planned are:

• From 2019, the competition will see 18 nations and the world’s best players compete in a week long season finale to be crowned Davis Cup champions.
• The first edition of the new event will be held in Madrid or Lille from 18-24 November, with the inaugural host city to be announced in the coming weeks.

• The new revenues that the event will generate will have a transformative effect on the development of tennis in all nations.
• Our mission is to ensure that this historic decision will benefit the next generation of players for decades to come.

The ITF AGM has voted in favour of the ITF and Kosmos’ transformational reforms to the #DavisCup by BNP Paribas, which will secure the long-term status of the competition.

Read more: https://t.co/hZV4AYwq9z pic.twitter.com/cOWVkuPIov

— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) 16 August 2018

• The 25-year agreement represents a total investment of $3 billion into tennis, creating substantial and historic levels of investment into the global development of tennis through the ITF and its 210-member National Associations.
• There will be a significant increase in the nations’ income from the competition and a new player prize fund of $20 million, elevating Davis Cup by BNP Paribas to Grand Slam prize money levels.

• The new format will involve a qualifying round in February, in which 24 teams will take part in home and away matches – a key element of the Davis Cup’s heritage. The 12 winners will secure a direct place into the final and will join the four semifinalists of the previous year – who qualify without having to play in February – and two wildcards that will be announced before the draw for the qualifying round.
• The Davis Cup Finals will be held in a round-robin format from Monday to Thursday.
• The countries will be divided into six groups and each qualifying round consisting of three matches – two singles and one doubles – of best-of-three sets.
• The first-placed teams from each group and the two best runners-up will reach the quarterfinals on Friday, while Saturday and Sunday will host the semifinals and the final.
• The two worst qualified teams from the round robin stage will be relegated to the Zone Groups for the following year and the rest of the nations that did not qualify for the semifinals will have to participate in February’s qualifying round the following season.