The 'Ingenious' Cup
Bring on World Cup Tennis!
By Beth Rifkin
I love the proposed tennis 'World Cup” idea! I’ll even go so far as to say that I think it should replace the current Davis Cup format. 32 nations, 10 days – a shoot out to the championship – now we’re talking fun!
I’m not minimizing the rich tradition and important part of history that Davis Cup has been, nor the ITF’s role within it, but modernizing Davis Cup is an incredible step forward for tennis. Updating any of tennis’s long held practices seems to be a constant contention; traditionalists feel that changing any significant aspects will lead to the demolishment of the game itself, while others, like me, realize the game has evolved throughout the years and will continue to do so.
The idea of an ‘International Championship of Nations’ – World Cup style – has been thrown around for quite a while but is now being presented in a formal manner by Gemba, an Australian marketing company, run by former pro athletes and Nike and adidas execs. One of the key aspects of this initiative is that it was created with the players best interest in mind and the players are having a say as to whether the idea goes forward or not.
“No idea can have legs unless the players commit to it and want it. Without them it would never work,” says, former Football player and one of the leading partners at Gemba, James Hird. "We are conscious of the fact that we do not want this event to be an extra burden on the players, so the desire is to find a new place for it in the calendar.”
This in itself is revolutionary since in tennis it’s the players that always seem to take the hit.
Competing in a new “power” sport but under old conditions, an 11-month season with no significant time to rest and recover and no individual representation are just some of the controversies on the Tour that the players have continually tried to change, to no avail.
World number 2 Novak Djokovic has said regarding the proposal, "…the players are the ones who are making the show and their opinions have to be greatly considered.” In 2009 Djokovic along with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal decided to take an active role in determining the practices that affect the players by running and sitting on the ATP’s Players Council. The World Cup proposal is the first large-scale initiative to be spearheaded through the Council.
But the benefits of modernizing Davis Cup are not simply about letting the players have their way. With the proposed format people might actually pay attention. As it is now, it’s only the die-hard tennis fan that follows Davis Cup, the casual sports fan does not know what Davis Cup is nor do they care, as most drop off as soon as the Tour ventures away from the Grand Slams or Masters level tournaments.
As critics of the World Cup attest, top player participation would be crucial, but current player habits are an indication of future involvement. Nadal, Federer, Roddick, Murray, Djokovic and the Bryan brothers have all participated in Davis Cup ties on a somewhat regular basis. Some more often than others, but if you make the event every two years, as is proposed, and easier for players regarding their traveling schedule and fatigue and injury issues, they would likely be more willing.
Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic commented when this idea was first proposed, that players wanted to represent their country but believed the annual Davis Cup format had become outdated. He explains, "The format is not suited for the players at the moment, Our sport is going forward so you have to change something about it. Maybe it was perfect 20 or 30 years ago, but now it's really too much for us - best of five sets, three days in a row - and for sure the week after you can't play, the week before you can't play."
Demonstrated by their eagerness to compete in the Olympics, all of the top players have shown a nationalistic pride throughout their career – making the International Championship of Nations more compelling and special and less grueling will only serve to increase that enthusiasm.
And to those that say less tennis will be detrimental by not being continually in fans faces – I say a little anticipation never hurt.
There are those who let ‘hard’ stop them and then there are those that do things despite any difficulties.
January 2010
