The Davis Cup is an institution in tennis, but it’s clear that the biggest players in the sport have lost interest in the event.
The event’s qualifying rounds are currently taking place, and the likes of Great Britain and Germany have confirmed their place in the next round.
While Jack Draper’s return to tennis was a big talking point at the Davis Cup, several players have swerved the event.
The Davis Cup and the ATP Tour need to implement a major schedule change to give the tournament the best chance of featuring its biggest names.
The Davis Cup needs to be shown more respect from the ATP Tour
Out of eligible nations competing in the Davis Cup, eight of the current top 20 on the ATP Tour decided not to play, despite the fact they are currently in action or competed at the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Ben Shelton, Casper Ruud, Jakub Mensik, and Francisco Cerundolo.
While some, like Ruud, who is taking time off after having a baby, and Mensik, who withdrew from the Australian Open, are understandable, there are some very strange omissions.
De Minaur rarely misses Davis Cup action for Australia, while Auger-Aliassime opted to play Open Occitanie rather than compete for Canada.
The Davis Cup should liaise with players to work out the best possible window where they will be most likely to play.
In addition, the ATP Tour should not be allowed to run events in the same window when the Davis Cup is taking place.
The competition for events only makes the Davis Cup product worse, and an event of its stature should not be made to feel like a second-class event.
Davis Cup captain says what is hurting the tournament
Team captains at the tournament have also expressed an issue with the ATP running parallel events to the Davis Cup.
Paul-Henri Mathieu, who is currently the France captain, was unhappy with many of the lineups he’s seen for the first round of the tournament.
He was able to pick Alexandre Muller and Arthur Rinderknech, but he believes some teams have been weakened by withdrawals from players.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of France’s clash with Slovakia, he said: “When I saw the lineups for some teams, I felt sad for the competition because it undermines its credibility.
“It’s becoming urgent to do real work on this event and bring the ATP (which runs the men’s tour) and ITF (Davis Cup organizer) closer together. Having ATP tournaments the same week, of course, hurts it.”
The Davis Cup will take a break until September following the first round of matches. Perhaps that is the perfect time to bring in some new rules to protect the tournament.