 Novak Djokovic was elected to the players council in June 2008 |
Novak Djokovic says the world's top male players are to consider proposals for a biennial World Cup that would threaten the future of the Davis Cup.
The Serb said the idea for a 32-nation event came from the ATP Player Council, of which he is a member.
"It's all fresh and it's all ideas... we have to consider other sides as well," said the world number three.
Players are set to discuss plans for the 10-day male-only tournament at next week's Australian Open.
According to The Times, World Cup matches would be shorter and, with a maximum of 25 seconds allowed between points, players would have to watch the clock.
Teams would consist of three players and a captain, with the 32 nations split into eight groups of four and 16 reaching the knockout stages.
 | Players are the ones who are making the show and their opinions have to be greatly considered Novak Djokovic |
Each nation will be forced to make mid-match substitutions by fielding at least two players per tie.
The All England Club, the United States Tennis Association and Tennis Australia have reportedly all been informed.
Djokovic said the talks at the Australian Open, which starts on 18 January, would be "crucial for upcoming years".
"This the bottom line," he added. "Without sponsors there wouldn't be a tournament; without tournaments, you know, players wouldn't exist.
"But still, players are the ones who are making the show and their opinions have to be greatly considered.
"This time I think that slowly things will get better. But these are things that cannot happen overnight."
"The top guys are not able to play all the matches that they would love to play for their nation," said the world number 24.Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic claimed players wanted to represent their country but believed the annual Davis Cup format had become outdated.
"It's because 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.
"And it's a shame because I'm 100% sure that every player would love to play for his nation.
"In fact, I'm not going to play Davis Cup any more for the same reason."
No comments:
Post a Comment