Former World No. 12 and Davis Cup tournament director Feliciano Lopez confirmed that he held talks with Novak Djokovic in an effort to listen to his concerns about the tournament’s format.
The Davis Cup, the oldest tennis team competition, underwent significant reforms a few years ago when former Barcelona footballer Gerard Pique led a multibillion-dollar 25-year investment in the tournament through his company Kosmos.
That deal was controversially terminated by the ITF which have since assumed total control of the Davis Cup. However, the new format that was instituted about five seasons ago, in which home-and-way ties were reinvented, remained intact.
This has attracted immense criticism from fans and players over the years, and the discourse raged this season with Novak Djokovic being the latest high-profile player to speak against the current format.
Djokovic, like many tennis fans, believes the mystique of the Davis Cup has been long lost arguing that it is high time that the competition faces a “review” and continues to “survive.” In order to restore the glamour of the tournament, Djokovic opined that home-and-away ties should be brought back.
The 36-year-old has stated it is not Pique’s fault that they find themselves in this predicament but has accused the ITF of not consulting the players for drastic changes that are desperately needed.
Djokovic eventually got an opportunity to clear his chest during a face-to-face meeting with Lopez during his time competing in Malaga this past week, but there has not been any confirmation that things are starting to move.
“He was throwing out a lot of good ideas, a lot of concerns, on behalf of him and also the rest of the players. And I think this is the way it has to be done.”
Despite concerns of a low turnout during the final stages of this year’s tournament, the Martin Carpena Arena in Malaga was jam-packed nearly all week where Italy won their first Davis Cup title since 1976.
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