Davis Cup Won’t Return to Best-of-Five

By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, November 25, 2024

Photo credit: ITF Facebook 

Davis Cup will resume one esteemed tradition, but has no plans to go the distance.

The 2025 Davis Cup format will return to the traditional home-and-away ties in the September stage moving away from the current four-group stage events played last September. 

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However, International Tennis Federation President David Haggerty said there no plans for Davis Cup to resume best-of-five set matches.

Meeting the media in Malaga, Spain prior to Italy’s victory over The Netherlands in the Davis Cup final yesterday, Haggerty said there two main reasons why Davis Cup will continue to contest best-of-three-set matches:

1. Many players and captains have requested best-of-three sets, particularly at the end of a long and grueling season. 2. Best-of-three set matches can be just as compelling as best-of-five sets, the ITF President said.

“I think we have spoken to players and captains. That’s why we’re the best-of-three sets,” Haggerty told the media in Malaga. “We think it makes sense. Especially in the Finals when you’re playing matches sometimes, Italy will play today, they played yesterday. So that’s why we think the best-of-three sets is fine.

“I have not been, and I don’t think anybody here can tell me a match that wasn’t compelling either in Billie Jean King Cup or Davis Cup, and we had one best-of-three match it was almost four hours. I think from a fan perspective, we want to make sure they have an enjoyable experience and for the players and for their health, as well.”

Haggerty said the move back to home-and-away ties next September, a return to a fundamental principle of Davis Cup, is a direct result of feedback from players and captains.

“When it comes to, you know, looking at what else we could do, we did listen to the players, we did listen to the nations,” Haggerty said. “One of the things we have always wanted to do is balance the tradition of Davis Cup with some innovation of the Final 8.

“So as you know, next year the September round, which has been four group stages, will become home-and-away stages. That will give the nations the team to celebrate their stars and whoever they get drawn against coming to their nation, or for those nations that have to travel, so it really gives us what we feel is the best balance of the competition.”