Country Cups (Davis Cup, Fed/BJK Cup)

[mmmm8]

Did we ever get the story behind what happened with the company that was originally given the contract to promote Davis Cup?

Kosmos. Owned by Spanish footbal player Gerard Pique, who was married to Shakira. Was involved in a lot of sports' promotions, and it has been a total disaster.

I guess her lyrics were right, too much gym, not enough brain workouts

[ti-amie]

[ponchi101]

Make them play with T-2000's and Head's Ashe Pro's (those were aluminum).

[skatingfan]

[ashkor87]

US and Czechia look like the strongest teams in BJK cup. Canada looks strong too. About 75% full strength overall ...? All the teams..?

[ponchi101]

Czechia indeed, but their players are streaky. Krejcikova won W and then disappeared. Let's see if she can return to form.

[skatingfan]

Czechia indeed, but their players are streaky. Krejcikova won W and then disappeared. Let's see if she can return to form.

Krejcikova plays well occasionally, and wins a big title, and then goes back to her regular level. This year, Wimbledon aside, has been below average for her.

[ashkor87]

Davis Cup .the only 'big' player is Alcaraz..the others don't seem motivated to play...Sinner, Zverev..this is a failure of captaincy...it is really the job of the captain to get the best players to play...

[ponchi101]

Davis Cup .the only 'big' player is Alcaraz..the others don't seem motivated to play...Sinner, Zverev..this is a failure of captaincy...it is really the job of the captain to get the best players to play...

No. It is the job of the PRODUCERS of this exo to come up with the best players.
Novak was out of the question. That is understood. Sinner's tag may be too high and he talked about a loving aunt who is in bad health; he may not be tempted at the moment to go anywhere regardless of the fee.
Borg and Mac may be legends, but they do not have the authority to tell anybody to come and play. And six of the top 10 players are showing up.
It is the WORLD team that is fielding a weak team (Kokkinakis?)
Let's face it. This idea was bound to run into trouble the moment Roger and Rafa would retire.
(And I will go full arrogant and say I said that on the first year of the event).

[ashkor87]

I was talking about DC not the overhyped exho called Laver Cup...I agree about Laver Cup

[ponchi101]

I was talking about DC not the overhyped exho called Laver Cup...I agree about Laver Cup

Wow. I completely missed that you were talking about DC. Sorry about that.
DC is dead. The format is silly, the home-and-away matches are no longer the recipe for compelling matches.
I say, let it die. It was a great competition and for which players geared up just for pride. Those days are gone.

[skatingfan]

Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup changing formats for next year

LONDON (AP) — The Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup competitions are both changing their formats next year.

The International Tennis Federation announced the changes Friday, with the Billie Jean King Cup Finals transitioning from 12 teams to an eight-team event to mirror the existing Davis Cup Finals format. The ITF said the change is “part of a long-term strategy to bring the World Cup of Tennis events closer together."

That means that next year’s Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers will feature seven groups of three teams each, with the group winners joining a host nation in the 2025 Finals.

Meanwhile, the September stage of the Davis Cup will change from having a six-day group-stage competition to featuring seven home-or-away series played over two days.

The seven winning teams will join a host nation in the Finals in November. The Billie Jean King Cup will also feature home-or-away matches in the qualifiers starting in 2026.

“In Billie Jean King Cup, the move to an eight-team Finals aligns with the Davis Cup Final 8 format which has proven to be such a success,” ITF President David Haggerty said.

“Moving the Davis Cup September stage from six-day group stage events to two-day home-or-away ties will ease players’ schedules immediately following the U.S. Open, while maintaining the intensity of the competition that they all love.”

Bidding processes for the hosts of next year’s Finals are underway. This year’s tournaments will both take place in Malaga, Spain.

“Creating the best competition format is a key part of our long-term strategy for the Billie Jean King Cup and follows consultation with players, fans, partners and broadcasters ,” said Ilana Kloss, chair of Billie Jean King Cup Ltd. “An eight-team event over six days will be hugely beneficial to player health and the global fan experience. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

https://www.tsn.ca/davis-cup-and-billie ... FMIX%2FRFY

[ponchi101]

They just can't get it. You can try changing all the formats you want, but people in Spain are not going to line up to watch a tie between Belarus and Portugal.
Just an example.
These cups may be obsolete by now. Sometimes you have to accept that.

[ashkor87]

i really dont like the format - two singles then the doubles.. of course, then the doubles could be the decider, which would give them the importance they deserve..
Poland, Czechia and Italy all look strong - esepcially with the doubles team of Errani and Paolini having emerged as a force.

[ti-amie]

They just can't get it. You can try changing all the formats you want, but people in Spain are not going to line up to watch a tie between Belarus and Portugal.
Just an example.
These cups may be obsolete by now. Sometimes you have to accept that.

There was nothing wrong with the original format...